[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 73 (Monday, May 1, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1433-S1434]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Nomination of Julie A. Su

  Ms. HIRONO. Madam President, I rise today to express my strong 
support for Julie Su's nomination to serve as our next Secretary of 
Labor.
  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 
combating wage theft to expanding workforce training, Acting Secretary 
Su has spent her life fighting for workers. For the past 2 years, she 
has served as Deputy Secretary of Labor alongside Secretary Walsh. 
Together they helped make life better for workers across the

[[Page S1434]]

country. Thanks to their hard work, our country has added a record 12.6 
million jobs over the last 2\1/2\ years. What is 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 a daughter of immigrants. Her mother came to 
America from China on a cargo ship, unable to afford a passenger 
ticket. After arriving in the United States, 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 MacArthur 
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 is 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 2 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 has worked to ensure workers at all 
franchise businesses have basic protections so that those businesses 
and their employees can thrive.
  They claim that she has worked in the so-called gig economy--another 
lie. What she has done is crack down on corporations like Uber, 
exploiting hard-working 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.
  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.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.