December 17, 2008
Posted: 03:05 PM ET
From CNN's Dana Bash and Deirdre Walsh
Rep. Xavier Becerra is not interested in the job of U.S. Trade Representative.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — An aide to Rep. Xavier Becerra and a Democratic leadership aide both say a key reason he turned down the job of U.S. Trade Representative is because trade is simply not a top priority for the country right now, and Becerra felt that he would be better off staying in the House where he can deal with a broader range of issues such as health care and immigration. The Democratic leadership aide said that another factor is that Becerra is a relatively young and a member of the Democratic leadership with real potential to rise higher in the House Democratic ranks, and didn’t want to get off that track for a narrowly focused, relatively low profile job as USTR. It is noteworthy that a Democratic member of Congress was actually offered a post in the Obama administration and turned it down in a public way. Becerra also did an interview with editorial board of La Opinion where he raised concerns about how much influence the position would have. "My worry [was] how much weight this position would hold, and I came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be priority number one, and it might not be number to or three," he was quoted as saying. Earlier Wednesday, Becerra released a statement saying he was eager to work alongside Barack Obama in the Congress. Filed under: Barack Obama
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