WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump's spokesman is dismissing concerns about the absence of a Latino in the new Cabinet.

Trump's selection of Sonny Perdue for the position of Agriculture Secretary finalizes his Cabinet - and makes it the first Cabinet absent a Latino in nearly three decades.

Sean Spicer says the president-elect is committed to "uniting this country."

At a news conference Thursday, Spicer defended the diversity of Trump's chosen Cabinet by pointing to nominees Elaine Chao, Ben Carson and Nikki Haley - three ethnically diverse Cabinet picks.

He says that when the broader administration is taken into account, people will "respect the level of diversity."

Lauro Cavazos was the first Latino Cabinet member, serving as Education Secretary at the end of the Reagan administration and the start of the George H.W. Bush administration.