President Joe Biden’s pick for labor secretary made it through a key Senate panel on Wednesday, but the real test lies ahead for Julie Su as swing Democrats signal they may vote against her nomination when it comes before the full chamber.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions voted along party lines to advance Su’s nomination to the floor. The panel vote comes days after she testified at her confirmation hearing.
BIDEN PICK FOR LABOR SECRETARY ON THE ROCKS WITH SENATE SUPPORT UNCLEAR
Su is expected to face unified opposition from Republicans, who take issue with the unemployment insurance fraud that occurred under her watch as California labor commissioner during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She has been confirmed by the Senate once before — in 2021 to serve as Labor Secretary Marty Walsh’s deputy. Walsh stepped down in March to lead the National Hockey League Players' Association.
But two Democrats and one independent who voted for her then may oppose her nomination when it comes before the full Senate.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), a perennial thorn in Biden’s side, could single-handedly sink her nomination, as he did with Federal Communication Commission nominee Gigi Sohn in March.
The president’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration suffered the same fate after independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) said she would not support him in committee.
The two senators, along with Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), each facing tough reelection battles in 2024, have declined to say how they will vote.
Su, who is serving as acting labor secretary, cannot afford to lose a single vote in a chamber Democrats nominally control with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) absent from Washington as she recovers from shingles.
Business interests are running ad campaigns to pressure senators to oppose her, highlighting a gig worker law she supported in California that made it harder for employers such as Uber and Lyft to classify their drivers as contractors instead of employees.
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Meanwhile, labor groups have rushed to her defense, with the AFL-CIO running a six-figure ad of its own in Washington, D.C., and Arizona.
If Su were confirmed, she would be Biden’s first Asian American Cabinet secretary. She has received vocal support from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.