WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he will nominate Julie Su as the next Secretary of Labor.
Su is currently the assistant secretary of labor. If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first Asian American to serve as a cabinet secretary under Biden.
“It is an honor for me to nominate Julie Su to be our country’s next Secretary of Labor. Julie has spent her life fighting to make sure everyone has a fair chance, that no community is overlooked, and that no worker is left behind,” Biden said in a statement. “For several decades, Julie has headed the largest state labor department. her in the nation, she cracked down on wage theft, fought to protect trafficked workers, raised the minimum wage, created high-quality, good-paying jobs, and set and enforced workplace safety standards.» .
If confirmed, Su would replace Marty Walsh, who left the administration to become director of the National Hockey League Players Association.
A labor movement source said the White House notified them of the decision on Tuesday.
Before Biden announced his choice, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., praised Su’s skills.
“I’m just going to say: Julie Su is fantastic. I worked with her in California. And now, as the assistant secretary of labor, she’s amazing,” Warren said Tuesday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who chairs the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, praised Su’s nomination in a statement.
«I am confident that Julie Su will make an excellent Secretary of Labor. I look forward to working with her to protect workers’ rights and build the labor movement in this country,» Sanders said.
The Congressional Asian Pacific US Caucus had pressured Biden to nominate Su for the cabinet post. «His voice and perspective would be invaluable to the Administration, especially since there is no secretary-level Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) official currently serving in his cabinet.» reads a letter signed by nearly half of the 68-member caucus and sent to Biden earlier this month.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had encouraged Biden to nominate former Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, DN.Y., who chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last cycle but lost his own seat in a close House race.
political first reported that Biden would nominate Su.