E&W Blog

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a confirmation hearing today for President Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, Mayor Marty Walsh.

Education and Labor Committee Republicans have legitimate concerns that President Biden’s nominee will fail to deliver for America’s workers and job creators. We’re hoping to get some answers to a few questions today.

Will Walsh protect religious freedom for religious organizations participating in the federal contracting system?
On January 8, 2021, a final rule issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) went into effect clarifying that religious organizations seeking federal contracts may make religiously-based employment decisions. Democrats have criticized this rule, even though the rule merely implements a provision of the Civil Rights Act that has been in place for more than 55 years. Will Walsh cave to demands from the far left and roll back important religious-liberty protections?
 
Will Walsh preserve workers’ access to high-quality employer-sponsored health care?
House Republicans are committed to improving and enhancing employer-sponsored health care options for American workers and their families. To the contrary, House Democrats have jammed through partisan bills like H.R. 3, Speaker Pelosi’s radical drug-pricing scheme, which would result in less innovation and fewer cures at a time when our country is still struggling with COVID-19. Will Walsh work with Republicans to support bipartisan proposals that improve care and lower costs for workers and employers or continue to pursue partisan solutions that do nothing to address skyrocketing health care prices?
 
Will Walsh provide greater union transparency given notable examples of corruption?
Throughout the Trump administration, the DOL Office of Labor Management Standards implemented commonsense reforms to safeguard against union corruption—helping rank-and-file union members educate themselves about the finances of the organizations that are supposed to represent them. Will Walsh continue to build on the Trump administration’s initiatives to provide greater transparency and organizational accountability to members of labor unions? Or will he roll back these protections which were put in place to combat the continued and notable examples of corruption, such as the UAW scandal where union bosses engaged in money laundering, tax fraud, bribery, and the embezzlement of workers’ hard-earned union dues for lavish personal expenses.
 
Will Walsh protect or politicize the retirement savings of America’s workers and retirees?
Last year, DOL completed a pair of rulemakings that prioritize the financial success of America’s retirement savers and the integrity of their retirement plans. Retirement plan participants relinquish control over plan investment decisions to plan fiduciaries, trusting that the plans will be managed by experts who must abide by federal law. Investment decisions made by plan fiduciaries must be focused and made with one goal—the financial security of workers and retirees.