This Tuesday, February 28, President Biden announced his nomination of Julie Su, current Deputy Security of Labor, for the role of Secretary. The announcement stems from current Labor Secretary Marty Walsh's decision to leave the administration and head the NHL.
"It is my honor to nominate Julie Su to be our country's next Secretary of Labor. Julie has spent her life fighting to make sure that everyone has a fair shot, that no community is overlooked, and that no worker is left behind."
Biden went on to commend Su's accomplishments, acknowledging her role in leading the largest state labor department, her success in representing over 70 undocumented Thai garment workers forced to work under sweatshop conditions, raising the minimum wage, and enforcing workplace standards for safety.
Su's goals coincide with Biden's in that she, too, hopes to achieve a more equal and accessible workforce.
"To all workers who are toiling in the shadows, to workers who are organizing for power and respect in the workplace, know that we see you."
Such comments reflect Biden's goal to "rebuild the backbone of this nation, the middle class." Closing out his statement, Biden stated, "I look forward to continuing to work with Julie to build an economy that works for working people, and I respectfully ask the Senate to take up this nomination quickly so that we can finish the job for America's workers."
However, Biden's hopes for a quick nomination will likely experience some friction as it flows through the Senate. While largely backed and supported by Democrats, there has been some backlash by Republicans regarding Su. In a letter written and signed by seven Republicans representing California, two arguments were made to discourage Biden from his nomination: the first was titled "Fraud showing the highest degree of negligence" and the second as "Damage to the livelihoods of hard-working Americans." The first incident surrounded conflict about unemployment insurance fraud during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with Su as California Labor Secretary. The report cited $32 billion in fraudulent payments being sent out to people who did not qualify for the California unemployment compensation program, while others who proved eligible for the assistance failed to receive payment on time. The latter argument brought up Su's support of AB5, a law that the Republicans claimed "has cost tens of thousands of freelance workers and independent contractors their economic livelihoods." The letter concluded that these two incidents scream "incompetence."
Looking back at her nomination for Deputy Secretary of Labor in 2021, her confirmation just barely passed with a 50-47 vote, noticeably with zero Republican support. In this year's Congress, Su faces a 51-49 Democratic-led Senate. If the same trend continues, a party-line vote by the Democrats will likely be needed to nominate Su for the position of Secretary. Complications may also give way as Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is out receiving inpatient treatment for depression.
If confirmed, Su will be the first Asian American member of Biden's cabinet at the secretary level, joining AAPI Cabinet members Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar. Even with significant opposition by Republican opponents, Su still receives great support from the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus. In fact, it was Asian American Democratic lawmakers and advocates that influenced Biden to nominate Su.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/business/economy/julie-su-labor-secretary.html
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/28/biden-to-tap-su-as-next-labor-secretary-00084776
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/28/1160104766/biden-labor-secretary-nominate-julie-su
3 comments:
I think that the potential for Su's confirmation as the first Asian American member of Biden's cabinet is a great step towards diversity and representation in politics. However, the backlash by Republicans highlights the deep political divide in the current state. CA paying out $32.6 billion in fraudulent unemployment insurance claims is probably not the reason why they are against Su. Although I believe that it is important that government officials are taken accountable and scrutinized for their work in order for them to improve, accountability is hardly ever taken. We wouldn't see frauds in Congress otherwise; for example, George Santos... Su has an impressive resume as the secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and CA's labor commissioner, as well as the litigation director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles. She doesn't lack the credential for Secretary of Labor, and I am happy to see Asian American representation in Biden's cabinet.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/politics/julie-su-joe-biden-white-house
Biden's nomination of Su, an Asian American, really highlights a major shift in the US government. As a nation comprised of minorities, it's really refreshing to see more representation instead of more white people, for lack of a better way of putting it. Even if Biden may not have the best presidential history, or Su having multiple major mistakes in office as the Deputy Security of Labor, it is impossible to find the so-called "perfect" candidate. Sometimes we have to overlook the flaws, and see how they have moved on. Su is a prime example, having learned from her mistakes and hopefully, she'll be able to bring her experience and newfound abilities to become a competent and capable Secretary in the White House.
Julie Su has an impressive resume, having held several roles in California government, and is qualified for the job. It is also good to see the diversity in the cabinet nominations by President Biden. These roles are always political in nature, and regardless of who was nominated, be it by a Democratic or a Republican president, the person is there to carry out a political agenda based on what the president wants them do accomplish. Regardless of who is nominated, the opposing party will often be in opposition to the person. There seem to be two main issues the Republicans are raising. The first is her support of AB5, which was a bill in California to have more freelance workers classified as employees. These workers, such as people who work for DoorDash or Uber, are currently classified as contractors, which provides for more flexibility in how they work and are paid. However, flexibility comes at a price, as they have fewer legal protections than people classified as employees do. The AB5 bill also impacted other industries, such as independent truck drivers, etc., so it has been highly controversial, and therefore made the nomination of Julie Su somewhat controversial due to her support for it. The other issue was the massive fraud which took place under her watch related to unemployment insurance in California, which was estimated at over $30 billion in the blog. This money should have gone to schools and services in California, but instead went to scammers. How much she is to blame for these issues is debatable, as government agencies are difficult to change, and even the person in charge cannot alter procedures overnight. However, her many positive attributes still make her a good candidate for the position.
Post a Comment