The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus endorsed Julie Su, the Deputy Labor Secretary, to be the next Labor Secretary on Wednesday.
Current Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is expected to leave the Biden administration in the coming days to lead the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA), a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday. The caucus said in a statement on Wednesday that there is no Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (AANHPI) who currently serves in Biden’s cabinet, and that Su is not only qualified, but would bring representation of the caucus to the cabinet.
“Deputy Secretary Su has dedicated her career to the promotion of workers’ rights and fair labor practices and to advancing equity and opportunities for all workers, including ones from historically underserved communities,” the statement reads. “She would be a stellar, exceptionally qualified candidate to be Secretary of Labor and would deliver results for American workers and the Biden-Harris Administration immediately upon her confirmation.”
The caucus said they “remain troubled that the Administration has no Secretary-level AANHPI official serving in the Cabinet,” which they added is the first time since 2000 that the group has not had representation at the cabinet-level.
The caucus also said that they previously endorsed Su to be the Labor Secretary in 2020. Su has served in her role as the Deputy Secretary of Labor since July 2021.
“Because she is in the best position to understand the Department’s work and needs, and because the inclusion of an AANHPI as a Cabinet Secretary is long overdue, CAPAC endorses her to serve as Secretary of Labor and urges President Biden to swiftly nominate her to the role when appropriate,” the statement reads.
“President Biden has the opportunity to better realize the ‘most diverse Cabinet in history’ with the elevation of Deputy Secretary Su. CAPAC urges him to seize that opportunity by nominating Julie Su as our next Secretary of Labor,” the statement continues.