Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee during her confirmation hearing to be the following secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., April 20, 2023.
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Greater than 250 business leaders are urging the Senate to verify acting Labor Secretary Julie Su to helm the department, in line with a letter first obtained by CNBC.
“Julie Su is a trailblazer whose track record speaks for itself,” reads the letter, which cited her experience as Labor secretary of California. “She led efforts to combat wage theft, expand access to health care and paid family leave, and supply legal services for staff facing exploitation. Moreover, her experience as U.S. Deputy Labor Secretary has given her an intensive understanding of the Labor Department and the present issues facing the economy, businesses, and staff.”
The letter, addressed to each Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was sent Thursday. It was signed by the likes of YouTube co-founder Steve Chen and OpenTable CEO Debby Soo. Other signatories include Caroline Tsay, who serves on the board of directors for Coca-Cola and Morningstar; Roy Salamé, a former managing director and vice chair at JP Morgan Chase; Eric Kim, co-founder and managing partner of Goodwater Capital; and Cindy McNamara, a Bank of America vp.
Su has faced strong backlash from some members of the business community for her pro-labor stances, hampering her track to confirmation. She was confirmed to be deputy secretary to former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in 2021 by a party-line vote, but several key moderate Democrats have yet to say whether they’ll support her this round.
A committee within the Democratic-held Senate advanced her nomination late last month.
If confirmed, Su could be the primary Asian American and Pacific Islander Cabinet secretary within the Biden administration. She would join Cabinet-level AAPI officials Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and Arati Prabhakar, Office of Science and Technology policy director.
The signatories, lots of whom are Asian American, expressed concern concerning the lack of AAPI representation in government, which they call “deeply concerning.” The letter cites a report from the Reflective Democracy Campaign that found AAPI individuals compose only 0.9% of elected leaders across all levels of presidency, regardless that they make up 6.1% of the general population.
It goes on to notice that members of the AAPI community own greater than 2.5 million small businesses and are chargeable for the creation of over five million jobs.
“Their impact on the economy is critical and it’s crucial that they’re strongly represented at the very best level of presidency,” the letter said.
The White House has been steadfast in its support for Su’s confirmation. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the stance at a press briefing Wednesday.
“She’s met with dozens of senators on each side of the aisle and we’re working very hard daily for each vote,” Jean-Pierre said. “That’s actually something that she’s doing, actually something that we’re doing on her behalf. And we’re feeling confident about her process and searching forward to the ground consideration within the near future.”
Su also has the backing of labor unions including the United Mine Employees, NABTU, LiUNA, the IBEW and AFL-CIO, in addition to the Small Business Majority to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
