Tom Harkin: “I support the nomination of Charlotte Burrows to be a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or…”

“I support the nomination of Charlotte Burrows to be a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, and David Lopez to continue to serve as the agency's general counsel. These are two eminently qualified nominees. Mr. Lopez is a dedicated public servant who has spent over two decades protecting people from workplace discrimination. He did an admirable job during his first term, and was responsible for marked improvements in both the agency's litigation program and in its outreach to stakeholders. Ms. Burrows has also had a distinguished career in public service. She is currently Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice, and previously served as general counsel for Civil and Constitutional Rights for Senator Kennedy and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She is a leading expert in the field of discrimination law, and she has proven herself committed to public service. Both of these nominees deserve to be confirmed by the Senate. And our Nation needs public servants of their caliber and experience at the EEOC, which has the critical mission of protecting working Americans from workplace discrimination. Throughout my career I have been guided by the vision of an America that is compassionate, just, and inclusive--a society where the government provides a ladder, or sometimes a ramp--of opportunity that gives every American a fair shot at the American dream.…”