[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Nomination of Jennifer Ann Abruzzo

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, you know, this pandemic has made it 
clearer than ever that our economy is working great for those at the 
very top but not for our workers.
  Saturday actually marks the 12th anniversary of the last time that we 
raised our Federal minimum wage. Twelve years. That is unacceptable, 
and our workers really deserve better. No one working 40 hours a week 
should be making wages so low, their family is living in poverty and 
they can't even afford to pay for even their most basic needs. It is 
past time that we finally give workers, who are the backbone of our 
economy and have kept us going through this pandemic, a hard-earned and 
much deserved raise.
  Another important step the Senate can take to build back an economy 
that is stronger and fairer and works for everyone is to ensure that 
Agencies like the National Labor Relations Board work effectively and 
protect workers' rights. Jennifer Abruzzo is the type of dedicated 
public servant who will make sure the NLRB is enforcing the law and 
protecting the rights of workers.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm her as 
general counsel of the NLRB. She has dedicated her career to upholding 
the law and protecting workers from unfair treatment. She has won 
victories against companies that attempted to undermine workers' right 
to organize and call for better wages. She has 23 years of experience 
at the NLRB, including her time serving as acting general counsel, the 
role she is now nominated to fill.
  It is clear she has the right experience, qualifications, and values 
for the job, and we need her to be able to get to work right away 
because we have seen 7 years of--we have seen years of unprecedented 
Republican obstruction of the NLRB nominees. There has been an empty 
Democratic seat on the NLRB for nearly 3 years, and there wasn't a 
single Democrat on the Board from late 2019 to mid-2020. That 
obstruction tipped the scales of justice in favor of big corporations, 
and workers have suffered the consequences.
  When workers stand together to form a union, it is the NLRB that 
makes sure the election is fair. If a worker is fired or unfairly 
punished because they want to join or form a union, the NLRB is tasked 
with protecting their rights. If companies refuse to negotiate fairly 
with unions fighting for higher wages and better benefits or a secure 
retirement or safer working conditions, it is the NLRB that protects 
unions and union workers who have helped build our country's middle 
class.
  Working families simply cannot afford an NLRB that fails to protect 
workers' rights when they are threatened. So we have to confirm 
nominees like Jennifer Abruzzo who will protect workers' rights and 
make sure their voices are heard if we are serious about building back 
a stronger, fairer economy. If we are serious about standing with 
working families, then we need to confirm Jennifer Abruzzo as general 
counsel of the NLRB and then get to work increasing our Federal minimum 
wage.
  I yield the floor.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote 
scheduled to occur at 11:30 a.m. begin immediately.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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