President Joe Biden called for the Senate on March 1 to quickly confirm Julie Su as the next Secretary of Labor.
The president’s comments came during a White House ceremony where he officially announced her nomination to replace Marty Welsh in the position.
With Su serving as labor secretary, Biden said during his introduction he would be better able to uphold his promise to “be the most pro-union president in presidential history.”
“The reason I ran was to rebuild the backbone of this nation, the middle class, and grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not from the top down,” he said.
Biden added that he believes the administration has a chance to accomplish some great things that are entirely consistent with what the United States stands for.
During his comments, the president cited economic growth under his administration and said he advised business leaders at a roundtable that unions would “save you money.”
As part of Su’s qualifications, the president cited her mother being a union leader and an immigrant who understands the importance of functioning in the workforce.
Su also spoke about her history during her speech, saying her mother came to the United States with no money and eventually became a union worker.
“Julie is the American Dream. And she is what the American Dream is about,” Biden said. “More importantly … she is committed to making sure that dream is within the reach of every American.”
Su spoke to “forgotten” workers saying, “To all workers who are toiling in the shadows, to workers who are organizing for power and respect in the workplace. Know that we see you, we stand with you, and we will fight for you.”
The secretary of labor nominee said she wanted to “build a country where no one feels invisible” if the Senate confirms her.
Su was a civil rights lawyer and former director of the California labor department who played a crucial role in talks late last year between unions and freight train corporations to prevent a crippling strike.
The nominee also sought to expand staff training initiatives and combat pay fraud. Su will be the fourth woman in Biden’s cabinet if confirmed by the Senate.
After Biden won the presidency, it was expected that Su would take over as department head, but she ended up in the position of the department’s deputy.
Walsh left his position in government and took over as executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association earlier this month.
Until the Senate takes action on Su’s nomination, she will serve as the interim secretary.