Sen. Joe Manchin opposes the nomination of Julie Su to become secretary of the Labor Department, meaning just one more Democratic “no” vote will tank her confirmation.
The West Virginia Democrat released a statement Thursday afternoon touting Su’s credentials as “impressive” but explaining that he ultimately decided to vote against her over a “genuine concern” regarding ideology.
Su is currently the acting Labor secretary and is getting strong support from most of the Democratic Party. But Manchin, who is weighing a reelection run in his red state, has been voting against a steadily increasing number of President Joe Biden’s nominees.
Given the Senate’s 51-49 split, Su can’t afford to lose any more votes from the Democratic Caucus. No Republicans are expected to support her nomination.
Su did get some good news Thursday, as Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said in an interview he will support her nomination. But Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) are among the Democratic Caucus members who are not indicating publicly whether they would vote to confirm Su, whose nomination has languished in the Senate for months.
It’s still unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will bring Su’s nomination to the Senate floor. He said earlier this week that she “will be a very good Labor secretary, and we’re working hard to get her approved.”
Some Democrats want Su to stay on as acting secretary regardless of her prospects for confirmation. Su was confirmed as deputy Labor secretary exactly two years ago — and won Manchin’s support for that lower-level position.
Su has been serving as acting secretary since Marty Walsh left in March to lead the NHL Players’ Association. Biden moved quickly to nominate Su, who has the strong backing of labor unions and Asian American and Pacific Islander advocacy organizations. Su would be Biden’s first AAPI Cabinet secretary, along with three other members of the Cabinet.
But Su has faced a barrage of criticism for her previous work overseeing California’s flawed unemployment insurance program, as well as her policy positions on hot-button subjects like rules governing independent contractors and franchise businesses. Su has met with a number of the holdouts in recent weeks, though she has yet to publicly win them over.
It is not clear what the administration would do if Su cannot be confirmed. Though there were several names floated when word got out that Walsh was entertaining the NHLPA job, there is not an obvious backup selection. And while Su can continue serving as acting Secretary on an indefinite basis, business groups have threatened to challenge actions she signs off on if she does so without Senate confirmation.
