A group of House Republicans, led by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, has called on President Biden to withdraw his nominee for Secretary of Labor, Julie Su. The group, which includes House Education Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and Rep. Michelle Steel, cites Su’s “record of continual failure” and accuses her of “harm[ing] California’s workforce, overse[ing] billions of dollars in fraudulent benefit payments, and further exacerbate[ing] the supply chain crisis.”
The letter goes on to detail Su’s tenure as Secretary of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency, where she oversaw the Employment Development Department, which manages unemployment insurance claims and other benefits programs for the state. The lawmakers point to a January 2021 report by the California State Auditor that found significant weaknesses in EDD’s approach to fraud prevention, resulting in billions of dollars in improper benefit payments.
The Republicans also take issue with Su’s support of California Assembly Bill 5, which imposes a rigid worker classification test that restricts Americans’ right to work as independent contractors and weakens supply chains. The group warns that “similar actions at the federal level would be a disaster for workers and our economy.”
The letter concludes by stating that the group will “closely monitor” Su’s tenure as Acting Secretary of Labor and “strongly oppose” her confirmation by the Senate.