Rhode Island General

Assembly
Office of the House Minority
Caucus

January 19, 2021

The Honorable Gina Raimondo
Rhode Island State House
Providence, RI 02903
Via Email and Hand Delivery

Dear Governor Raimondo,

Congratulations on your pending ascension to serve as the United States Secretary of Commerce.
Although we may leave Rhode Island, our hearts remain, and we know you will always keep an eye on
our home state. For this we are most thankful. This shared love of home compels us to respectfully
request that you establish a near-term date certain to step down as our Governor.
Given the magnitude of the health, economic and social crises Rhode Island grapples with, we must have
a defined leadership timetable, so that we may all plan accordingly. Our head of state must not be
contingent upon action from a seldom-functional United States Senate, or else the Ocean State will be
rudderless between administrations.
The Lieutenant Governor will ultimately be responsible for these crises, including the COVID-19
pandemic, our estimated $500 Million deficit in the next fiscal year, and deep tears in our social fabric.
Accordingly, the ascension of the Lieutenant Governor to the Office of Governor should commence as
soon as reasonably possible so that the individuals and policies that will ultimately see us through these
crises may be implemented forthwith.
Lastly, no human should, or could be expected to, manage these state-level crises, while at the same
time preparing to guide our national and international economic policy. Immense are the weights of
these individual offices, and combined, they are unmanageable. Our nation and world need you focused
on the great undertakings that await you as Secretary of Commerce, not pulled away by your
responsibilities as Governor.

Respectfully, the very purpose of an office of Lieutenant Governor is to provide for the seamless
transition of power in circumstances such as this. We implore you to allow our system to work as
designed by joining other Governors that have stepped down as nominees for federally appointed
positions prior to confirmation, including: Terry Branstad (IO); John Hoeven (ND); Jon Huntsman, Jr.
(UT); Dirk Kempthorne (ID); and Paul Cellucci (MA).
Thank you for your service to our state, and we wish you much health and happiness in your future
endeavors,

Sincerely,

House Minority Leader Blake A. Filippi

House Minority Whip Michael W. Chippendale
Representative Brian C. Newberry
Representative David Place
Representative George Nardone
Representative Robert Quattrocchi
Representative Justin Price
Representative Sherry Roberts