By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden’s pick for labor secretary, Julie Su, will be kept on as acting secretary indefinitely, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Su, a former labor activist whose Senate confirmation has been put on ice after all Senate Republicans and two Democrats refused to endorse her, will continue in her current acting role and there are no discussions about pulling her nomination, the sources said.
The Biden administration believes there are no time limits on how long Su can serve as acting secretary because she was already confirmed by the Senate as deputy labor secretary, the sources said. She serves under a statute that allows her to perform the duties of the secretary until a successor is appointed, they said.
The Biden administration is without a confirmed labor secretary at a time of resurgence in worker strikes across the country.
Some union leaders say they are unconcerned.
Jimmy Williams Jr., general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, who has worked with Su and her predecessor Marty Walsh, said not having a confirmed labor secretary at this point “does not really matter.”
“The policies were set during the first two years of this administration, Julie understands them, she was deputy and a part of all of them,” he said. “She can continue to move along the lines that were set.”
But Republican lawmakers have criticized the White House for letting her continue in her role in perpetuity. Opponents of her nomination, which include Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, have argued that her “progressive background” prevents her from forging compromises between labor and industry representatives.
White House officials have repeatedly said publicly the president’s support for Su is “unwavering” and that Biden and his aides will continue to fight for her confirmation.
“She is already doing the job she was nominated for and she is doing it well,” said one of the sources. “She can serve through the election if needed,” the source added.
Su, a civil rights lawyer and former California labor commissioner, has served as a deputy labor secretary since 2021.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Heather Timmons and Rosalba O’Brien)
