VIDEO: Hirono Advocates Julie Su’s Swift Confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Labor on Senate Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) urged the U.S. Senate to swiftly confirm Julie Su, Acting Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor, as the country’s next Secretary of Labor. Su, who was confirmed by the Senate to be the Deputy Secretary of Labor in July 2021, has been serving in her current role since former Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh departed from the agency earlier this year.

“As we continue working to rebuild and strengthen our economy, it is critical that the Department of Labor is led by someone committed to protecting the rights of all workers—and that person is Julie Su,” said Senator Hirono. “From combatting wage theft to expanding workforce training, Acting Secretary Su has spent her life fighting for workers.”

In her remarks on the Senate floor, Senator Hirono expressed her strong support for Julie Su’s nomination and emphasized Su’s exceptional qualifications to serve as the next Secretary of Labor.

“For the past two years, she’s served as Deputy Secretary of Labor alongside Secretary Walsh,” continued Senator Hirono. “Thanks to their hard work, our country has added a record 12.6 million jobs over the last two and a half years. What’s more, unemployment is at its lowest level in more than 50 years—a testament to the hard work of Secretary Walsh and Deputy Secretary Su.”

“Before coming to Washington, Julie spent decades fighting for workers in her home state of California as Secretary of Labor in California, commissioner of labor, and as a civil rights attorney,” continued Senator Hirono. “Beyond her stellar professional track record, Julie’s personal history informs her commitment to building an economy that puts workers first.”

Senator Hirono also highlighted the important representation Su would bring to the Biden-Harris Administration. If confirmed, Julie Su would be the first Asian-American in the Biden administration to serve in the Cabinet at the secretary level.

“Confirming Julie Su as Secretary of Labor is one of the most important things we can do to support workers, strengthen small businesses, and ensure our economy works for all of us—for working people,” concluded Senator Hirono.

A full transcript of Senator Hirono’s remarks is below and a link to download video is available here.

M. President, I rise today to express my strong support for Julie Su’s nomination to serve as our next Labor Secretary. As we continue working to rebuild and strengthen our economy, it is critical that the Department of Labor is led by someone committed to protecting the rights of all workers—and that person is Julie Su.

From combatting wage theft to expanding workforce training, Acting Secretary Su has spent her life fighting for workers. For the past two years, she’s served as Deputy Secretary of Labor alongside Secretary Walsh. Together, they’ve helped make life better for workers across the country. Thanks to their hard work, our country has added a record 12.6 million jobs over the last two and a half years. What’s more, unemployment is at its lowest level in more than 50 years—a testament to the hard work of Secretary Walsh and Deputy Secretary Su.

And before coming to Washington, Julie spent decades fighting for workers in her home state of California as Secretary of Labor in California, commissioner of labor, and as a civil rights attorney. Beyond her stellar professional track record, Julie’s personal history informs her commitment to building an economy that puts workers first.

Like me, Julie is the daughter of immigrants. Her mother came to America from China on a cargo ship—unable to afford a passenger ticket. After arriving in the U.S., she got a good job with a union, with predictable hours, paid sick leave, and a reliable income. That job helped Julie’s mother and father go on to become business owners themselves, ultimately running a franchise pizza restaurant and a laundromat. Thanks to her parents’ hard work, Julie went on to attend Stanford University and Harvard Law, before receiving a prestigious McArthur Genius Award for her work fighting for undocumented garment workers in California.

Julie Su is a relentless advocate for workers, and she also knows how to build consensus. It’s no wonder then that she enjoys broad support from business and labor alike, garnering the endorsement of groups including the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Majority, the AFL-CIO, and dozens of labor unions across the country.

She has the support of leaders like Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers of America, who said last month that Acting Secretary Su is, “straightforward, very knowledgeable and a passionate advocate for workers and their families. President Biden has made the right choice for Secretary of Labor.”

And Secretary Walsh himself, who said that he has “the utmost confidence in [Julie’s] ability to sustain the work of the department and advance the President’s vision of an economy that puts workers first and leaves no one behind.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Confirming Julie Su should be a no brainer, just like it was two years ago, when every Democrat in the Senate voted to confirm her as Deputy Secretary of Labor. But special interests are working hard to block her nomination, lobbing unfair attacks and intentionally misrepresenting her record.

In states like West Virginia, Montana, and Arizona, massive billboards have been erected suggesting that Deputy Secretary Su’s confirmation would harm our economy. They claim, outrageously, that she is somehow working to destroy franchise businesses, like the one her own family ran. In reality, she’s worked to ensure workers at all franchise businesses have basic protections, so that those businesses and their employees can thrive.

They claim that she’s worked to end the so-called gig economy—another lie. What she has done, is crack down on corporations, like Uber, exploiting hardworking Americans for their own profit. Because Deputy Secretary Su understands that our economy can thrive only if workers have the dignity and support they deserve.

M. President, what we are witnessing is a coordinated campaign by those on the right to discredit Julie Su and her impressive record, but her credentials are as clear as can be. And as we enter Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I would be remiss not to also mention the important role Acting Secretary Su will play as the only AAPI Cabinet-Level Secretary in the Biden-Harris Administration.

Confirming Julie Su as Secretary of Labor is one of the most important things we can do to support workers, strengthen small businesses, and ensure our economy works for all of us—for working people. I look forward to voting for her nomination, and for our country and our economy, I hope this body will confirm Julie Su without delay.

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