Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) will oppose Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su's nomination to the top job, he announced Thursday afternoon, striking a major blow to her confirmation chances.
President Joe Biden nominated Su in February to replace former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, who left his post to lead the National Hockey League Players Association. Her nomination was met with heavy criticism from Senate Republicans and centrist Democrats alike, largely based on her time leading California's Labor and Workforce Development Agency during the pandemic. On Su's watch, the state fulfilled between $20 billion and $32 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims, and roughly 5 million Californians saw their benefits payments severely delayed.
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“I believe the person leading the U.S. Department of Labor should have the experience to collaboratively lead both labor and industry to forge compromises acceptable to both parties,” Manchin said in a statement Thursday.
“While her credentials and qualifications are impressive, I have genuine concerns that Julie Su’s more progressive background prevents her from doing this," he continued. "For that reason I cannot support her nomination to serve as Secretary of Labor."
Su's nomination has languished in the Senate for months because key Democratic swing votes, Manchin included, have refused to get behind her. Democrats currently only control the upper chamber by a 51-49 margin, meaning that one absence or defection gives Republicans an opportunity to block any partisan effort.
Manchin faces a tough reelection fight next year, as do Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Jon Tester (D-MT), who have both declined to commit to supporting Su's nomination. Tester has repeatedly responded to questions about Su's status in the last month by asking if her nomination will even be voted on. So has Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a Republican who has voted for a number of Biden's Cabinet nominees.
"Is she going to be on the floor? I don't know," Tester told reporters when pressed in late June about the president's labor pick. "Montanans are still giving me feedback. We're still going to collect feedback until the 11th hour or so."
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While Manchin's opposition news serves as a significant blow to her confirmation chances, Su did receive some good news on Thursday. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) announced his intention to vote for Su after months of refusing to weigh in on the matter.
“I’ve talked through all these issues, and we’re just waiting to see if she gets to the floor," he said. “She’s doing the job.”