Ranking Member Cassidy, Braun, Colleagues Call on President Biden to Withdraw Julie Su Nomination for DOL Secretary

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Mike Braun (R-IN), and 31 Republican senators called on President Biden to withdraw the nomination of Julie Su to be Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL). Currently, Ms. Su’s nomination for the Secretary of DOL is being considered by the U.S. Senate.

“In the past three months since she was nominated to be Secretary of Labor, Ms. Su has given senators no indication that her past positions and actions are not indicative of future positions and actions she would take as Secretary,” wrote the senators. “She has avoided answering questions whenever possible and she has refrained from providing distinct specificity to her answers when she has responded to inquiries.”

“Given this present state of affairs, we respectfully urge you to withdraw the nomination,” continued the senators.

During Ms. Su’s nomination hearing before the HELP Committee, Cassidy discussed serious concerns about her ability to act as an unbiased secretary as opposed to an activist. Specifically, he raised concerns over her time in California, where she oversaw the implementation of AB 5, a controversial law that removed the flexibility of individuals to work as independent contractors. He also highlighted Ms. Su’s checkered past with leading an agency and lack of negotiation experience. With 150 labor contracts expiring this year, Cassidy expressed serious concerns with replacing former Secretary Marty Walsh with someone who has no direct experience handling labor disputes.

Cassidy and Braun were joined by U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Thune (R-SD), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT),  Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Rand Paul (R-KY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), James Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Todd Young (R-IN).

Click here to read the full letter.

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