With the expected departure of U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, many Asian Americans in Congress are calling for the nomination of Julie Su to the permanent position.
Su would become the first Asian American in the Biden administration to lead an executive department.
She is currently the Deputy Secretary of Labor directly under Walsh and previously headed the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
It’s been reported by the Daily Faceoff that Walsh will leave the White House to head the National Hockey League Player’s Association. No official announcement has been made about his new position.
However the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus isn’t wasting any time. It officially announced its endorsement of Su Wednesday.
LATEST STORIES
“Deputy Secretary Su has dedicated her career to the promotion of workers’ rights and fair labor practices and to advancing equity and opportunities for all workers, including ones from historically underserved communities,”CAPAC said in a statement Wednesday. “We remain troubled that the Administration has no Secretary-level AANHPI official serving in the Cabinet, the first time we have not had representation at this level since 2000.”
The President has responded to that concern in the past by pointing to Vice President Kamala Harris, the first time an Asian American and Indian American had been elected Vice President.
He also created a new senior position in the White House of a liaison to the AANHPI community.
Among Su’s supporters is U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI).
“I think he should” nominate her, she said to Politico. “I hope he does. I will be very happy to support her because I have talked with her and as I said she and Marty really made a very good team.”
Several labor groups have also backed Su. However, a coalition of gig companies have spoken out against her, upset that she implemented a law in California regulating gig workers.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc. Follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our efforts to produce diverse content about the AAPI communities. We are supported in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
