Labor Sec Nominee Julie Su Confirmation Hearing Underway

President Biden’s nominee for Labor Secretary, Julie Su, is now appearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for confirmation to Biden's cabinet.

• Despite being confirmed by the Senate in 2021 to the position of Deputy Labor Secretary, Su’s pathway to Labor Secretary is less clear as moderate Democrat Senators facing challenging re-election fights continue to express concern over her suitability for the role.
• Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) have declined to confirm ‘yeses’ and the vote will also be complicated by the continued absence of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) who is recovering from shingles.
• Punchbowl: “Opposition to Su centers around the tens of billions of dollars in fraudulent claims allegedly paid out while she oversaw California’s unemployment insurance program during the Covid-19 pandemic. As much as $30 billion was improperly distributed under Su’s watch. That controversy almost derailed her nomination for deputy secretary of Labor in 2021. Su was confirmed on a 50-47 margin with three Republicans missing the vote.”