Nomination of Hilda L. Solis, of California, to be Secretary of Labor--Continued

Floor Speech

NOMINATION OF HILDA L. SOLIS, OF CALIFORNIA, TO BE SECRETARY OF LABOR--Continued -- (Senate - February 24, 2009)

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I thank all of my colleagues for their remarks today, including the distinguished ranking member of our HELP Committee, the Senator from Wyoming, and the ranking member on my Subcommittee on Employment, the Senator from Georgia. We have all worked together on a number of issues that are important to the well-being of workers in this country, and today is no different as we consider the nomination of Hilda Solis to serve as President Obama's Labor Secretary.

As a committee and as a body, we have done our due diligence in reviewing her nomination and materials. Now it is time to move forward.

Working families across the country are facing the hardest of economic downturns. Most of them have never experienced anything like this. It is affecting everyone across our country. Earlier today, we learned that about 303,570 people in my home State of Washington were unemployed and looking for work in January. That is the largest number ever in my State. That is over 303,000 families who are now wondering how they are going to be able to pay their bills or keep their house or afford health care or even save for retirement.

Workers in my State and across the country cannot afford to wait one more day for an advocate in this administration who will make their voice heard as we work to repair our country's economy. They cannot afford to wait any longer for a new leader at the agency that is responsible for unemployment insurance, job training, and placement services, protecting the health and safety of our workers on the job, and ensuring their rights in the workplace are protected. We have to have a Labor Department that can move into high gear to meet workers where they are. Hilda Solis stands ready to answer that call.

Before I conclude, I want to take just a minute to thank a number of people who helped us to get to this point. In addition to the distinguished ranking member on the HELP Committee, Senator Enzi, and the ranking member on our subcommittee, Senator Isakson, and all of their staff members, I wish to recognize and thank Senator Kennedy who is the chairman of our Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. His dedication to America's working families is unmatched. And his staff, including Portia Wu and Lauren McFarren, have dedicated countless hours to moving this nomination forward.

I also thank Senator Dodd, who chaired the HELP Committee executive session that reported Representative Solis out of committee, bringing us a step closer to today's confirmation.

Let me also thank my staff who have worked so hard with me: Gerri Fiala, Crystal Bridgeman, Mike Waske, Mike Spahn, and Stacy Rich. I appreciate all of their joint efforts to getting us here today.

Of course, I thank our great floor staff who worked tirelessly to help move this process forward.

Finally, I want to particularly thank Representative Hilda Solis for, once again, answering the call to serve. We expect the final vote on her nomination shortly. I encourage all Senators and colleagues to support her confirmation on behalf of all the working families in our country who need a voice in Washington, DC.

Mr. President, I yield back the remainder of time and ask for the yeas and nays.

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