On the recordJuly 18, 2013
I rise today to express my opposition to the nomination of Thomas Perez to be Secretary of Labor. Given our relentlessly high rate of unemployment over the past 55 months and stagnant economic growth, we simply must do more to foster lasting economic prosperity. After analyzing Mr. Perez's role at the Department of Justice, I do not believe he is the proper candidate to help our Nation return to full employment or reach our economic potential. I have great concerns regarding some of the decisions he has made, the professionalism and ethics of those decisions, and his overall management abilities. The Department of Labor has, unfortunately, pursued guidance and rulemakings that are daunting to large and small businesses alike, and I believe Mr. Perez would only exacerbate these problems. Mr. Perez accrued an alarming record of mismanagement and utter politicization of the law during his tenure at the Department of Justice, DOJ. The DOJ's inspector general 2013 report gave a highly critical review of the Voting Section under Mr. Perez, citing the ``politically charged atmosphere and polarization within the Voting Section'' and the ``dysfunctional management chain'' under Mr. Perez.…





