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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Joseph Rendeiro
(202) 776-1566
jrendeiro@nclr.org
In a 54 to 46 vote today, the Senate confirmed Thomas E. Perez as the next Secretary of Labor. Perez, who previously served as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, is currently the only Latino in the president’s second-term cabinet and the first-ever Dominican American to serve in a presidential cabinet.
“Today’s decision to confirm Tom Perez as the next Secretary of Labor is a critical victory for hardworking families across this nation,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza). “Perez’s decades of service as an elected and appointed official have shown him to be a staunch supporter of workers’ rights with the keen ability to build consensus among stakeholders. We are confident that Perez has the unique expertise and leadership experience to successfully oversee the work of the Department of Labor, which is especially important for struggling Latinos who face high levels of unemployment.”
During his time at the Civil Rights Division, Perez defended military families and victims of hate crimes, prioritized the enforcement of civil rights statutes such as the National Voting Rights Act, Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act and settled three of the largest lending cases in the Fair Housing Act’s history. He previously worked at the Maryland Department of Labor, where he helped struggling families avoid foreclosure and revamped the state’s adult education system.
“We should note that the process to confirm a qualified candidate like Perez should not have taken nearly as long as it did and that, despite his stellar track record, Perez was subject to a number of unfair attacks on his reputation and career, which unjustifiably delayed this process. We are pleased that the Senate ultimately saw beyond this baseless criticism and made the right choice for the American people,” added Murguía.
“Tom Perez has demonstrated unwavering commitment to protecting our civil rights and building opportunity for all Americans. In fact, millions of Hispanics across this country have been directly impacted by his work,” concluded Murguía. “We thank the Senate for, at long last, confirming Mr. Perez and we encourage President Obama to continue adding strong, diverse candidates to his cabinet.”
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