U.S. President Barack Obama will announce Thomas Perez as his nominee to be the next secretary of Labor, according to a New York Times report
Obama plans to announce Monday, Thomas Perez as his nominee to be the next secretary of Labor, The New York Times reports. Perez is currently the U.S. assistant attorney general heading the Justice Department's civil rights division.
Perez, a former federal prosecutor and an official in his home state of Maryland, was sworn into his current post in October 2009. News of nomination has been making the rounds in Washington for quite some time now. However, White House officials have revealed that Obama will be making the official announcement Monday.
"Tom is a dedicated public servant who has spent his career fighting to keep the American dream within reach for hardworking middle class families and those striving to get into the middle class," the White House official said.
He would be replacing Hilda L. Solis, who announced her departure in January after running the Labor Department for four years.
"As the daughter of parents who worked in factories, paid their union dues and achieved their goal of a middle class life, and as the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been an incredible honor to serve," Solis wrote in a letter to colleagues announcing her departure.
However, Obama's nomination could provoke a debate with Republicans about voting rights and discrimination. This nomination comes just hours after the release of the Republican National Committee's report assessing what went wrong during the 2012 campaign, including problems appealing to key demographics.
