[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 103 (Thursday, July 18, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S5762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            PEREZ NOMINATION

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I want to speak briefly about our vote 
today to confirm Thomas Perez as our next Secretary of Labor, and I 
want to touch on a couple of reasons, of separate reasons, this 
particular confirmation is so important for this body and for our 
country.
  First, something we have talked about for several days here is 
providing the President and his administration with the team he needs 
to help our country grow, for our economy, our families, and 
communities in every one of our home States. Filling the position of 
Labor Secretary could not be more important. We all rely on the 
Department of Labor to do a lot of important work for American workers 
and American businesses--providing critical workforce development and 
job training services to help get people back to work or into better 
jobs, making sure we have high workplace safety standards, improving 
conditions and opportunities for women, and helping our service men and 
women find good jobs when they come home. Our country and our economy 
are stronger when the Department of Labor has a talented, qualified 
leader at the reins.
  That brings me to the second reason why this vote is so important, 
and that is the tremendous nominee we have before us today. In Thomas 
Perez, the President has nominated someone who will bring passion and 
integrity and a lifetime of experience to this very important position. 
Like so many Americans, Mr. Perez comes from very humble beginnings. He 
is a second-generation American who put himself through college by 
collecting trash and working in the university dining hall. Since that 
time, he has spent his career fighting for working families, protecting 
our important civil rights laws, and turning around troubled agencies.
  There is no shortage of examples to demonstrate what an effective 
leader Mr. Perez has been throughout his career. He took an Office of 
Civil Rights at HHS that had been ignored and lifeless and breathed new 
life into it. He reformed and rebuilt the Department of Labor in 
Maryland, and he walked into a very troubled Civil Rights Division at 
DOJ and, by all credible accounts, he returned high performance, 
professionalism, and integrity to that agency.
  In a time when we need to do everything we can to protect and grow 
our shrinking middle class, Mr. Perez is exactly the right person for 
this job because in tough times, while we are still recovering from 
recession, we need strong, experienced leadership at the Department of 
Labor.
  My colleagues here today who support his confirmation from both sides 
of the aisle are not alone. From his time working at the local and 
State and Federal level, organizations from Maryland and throughout our 
country have come out to strongly support him as well. That includes 
organizations that represent women, the LGBT community, the Hispanic 
community, and many more.
  Finally, throughout his confirmation process, which at times has been 
very difficult, Mr. Perez has shown nothing but openness, transparency, 
respect, and the ability to work together and solve problems. That is 
why I will vote to confirm him today, and I urge all my colleagues to 
support his confirmation as well.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from West Virginia.

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