Senate Dems Advance Nomination of Biden Labor Secretary Nominee Who Presided Over Mass Fraud in California

Julie Su, the current deputy secretary of labor, is facing a contentious Senate vote to become President Joe Biden’s Labor Department secretary. Her nomination has been controversial due to her record as California’s labor chief, where she oversaw an estimated $31 billion in fraud during the pandemic lockdowns. This led to a nearly $20 billion hole in California’s unemployment insurance fund.

The Senate workforce committee narrowly cleared her nomination for Senate approval on Wednesday, voting 11-10 along party lines. However, a handful of Democratic moderates have yet to commit to supporting her, making the Senate floor vote uncertain.

Aside from the fraud controversy, Su also worked to implement California’s Assembly Bill 5, which forced many independent contractors to reclassify as employees. Despite this, Senate workforce committee chair Bernie Sanders praised her record as a staunch union ally and supporter of raising the minimum wage.

On the other hand, Republican ranking member Bill Cassidy questioned Su’s competence and worried that she would bring an anti-business bias to the job. He noted her lack of experience with complex and high-stakes contract negotiations and her extensive record of partisan activism.