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Senate: Quickly Confirm Rep. Solis as Next Labor Sec. (Rep. George Miller)

by Calif. Dem. Rep. George Miller - 01/10/09 9:38 AM ET

Congresswoman Hilda Solis is a strong champion of working families and will be an outstanding Secretary of Labor. Given the enormous economic challenges facing our nation, I urge the Senate to take swift action and confirm her nomination.

Congresswoman Solis will take the helm of the Department of Labor during an extremely trying time for our nation’s economy and our workers. Just today we learned that 524,000 workers lost their jobs in December for a total of 3.6 million since the recession began. And, economists tell us that we may have not hit bottom.

This is why our nation’s workers demand a Labor Secretary who understands the everyday struggles Americans are facing. Hilda Solis is the right person for the job. Her record in the California legislature as a leader on labor issues and her excellent work in Congress on behalf of our nation’s working men and women will restore the Department of Labor as an advocate for hard working Americans.

I look forward to working with Secretary-designate Solis and the Obama administration to move the country forward on our nation’s workers top priorities: expanding health care, ensuring fair and equal pay, improving worker safety, strengthening retirement security and rebuilding our middle class.

Cross-posted at Huffington Post