Feb 12, 2009
Almost two months have gone by since President Obama nominated Rep. Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor.
But some Senate Republicans are playing petty politics, holding up her confirmation.
It looks like a cynical and misguided attempt to score points at the
expense of the new Democratic President and his cabinet nominee.
America desperately needs a Secretary of Labor, with 600,000 workers
losing their jobs just last month. Rep. Solis is eminently qualified
for the post. Her entire career is a testament to her deep commitment
to making sure everyday people have equal access to educational and
economic opportunity. Plus she brings a deep commitment to
environmental justice and green jobs for all.
I got to see that commitment up close, when I worked with Rep. Solis
on the Green Jobs Act of 2007. That innovative law is designed to get
skills and training to America's workers in the critical, emerging
industries of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Rep. Solis
co-authored and championed that bill -- and got it signed into law by
President Bush. She'll bring the same vision, political skill and
bipartisan approach to the Department of Labor.
But instead of getting to work solving the country's problems, Rep.
Solis has been forced to wait and watch while a few Republican Senators
try to make political hay of her husband's small business tax woes.
Her husband, Sam Sayyad, owed a few thousand dollars in back taxes. He
paid them. And the county says there is no reason to think he was
trying to avoid paying his taxes.
So enough is enough. It's time to put country before politics.
Give America the Labor Secretary we need and deserve. Confirm Hilda
Solis ... NOW.
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Van Jones
Van Jones, President of Rebuild the Dream, and author of the new book Rebuild the Dream. Jones was the founder and former president of Green for All and author of The Green Collar Economy. In 2009, he served as the green jobs advisor in the Obama White House. Van is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress, and also holds a joint appointment at Princeton University, as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Almost two months have gone by since President Obama nominated Rep. Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor.
But some Senate Republicans are playing petty politics, holding up her confirmation.
It looks like a cynical and misguided attempt to score points at the
expense of the new Democratic President and his cabinet nominee.
America desperately needs a Secretary of Labor, with 600,000 workers
losing their jobs just last month. Rep. Solis is eminently qualified
for the post. Her entire career is a testament to her deep commitment
to making sure everyday people have equal access to educational and
economic opportunity. Plus she brings a deep commitment to
environmental justice and green jobs for all.
I got to see that commitment up close, when I worked with Rep. Solis
on the Green Jobs Act of 2007. That innovative law is designed to get
skills and training to America's workers in the critical, emerging
industries of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Rep. Solis
co-authored and championed that bill -- and got it signed into law by
President Bush. She'll bring the same vision, political skill and
bipartisan approach to the Department of Labor.
But instead of getting to work solving the country's problems, Rep.
Solis has been forced to wait and watch while a few Republican Senators
try to make political hay of her husband's small business tax woes.
Her husband, Sam Sayyad, owed a few thousand dollars in back taxes. He
paid them. And the county says there is no reason to think he was
trying to avoid paying his taxes.
So enough is enough. It's time to put country before politics.
Give America the Labor Secretary we need and deserve. Confirm Hilda
Solis ... NOW.
Van Jones
Van Jones, President of Rebuild the Dream, and author of the new book Rebuild the Dream. Jones was the founder and former president of Green for All and author of The Green Collar Economy. In 2009, he served as the green jobs advisor in the Obama White House. Van is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress, and also holds a joint appointment at Princeton University, as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Almost two months have gone by since President Obama nominated Rep. Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor.
But some Senate Republicans are playing petty politics, holding up her confirmation.
It looks like a cynical and misguided attempt to score points at the
expense of the new Democratic President and his cabinet nominee.
America desperately needs a Secretary of Labor, with 600,000 workers
losing their jobs just last month. Rep. Solis is eminently qualified
for the post. Her entire career is a testament to her deep commitment
to making sure everyday people have equal access to educational and
economic opportunity. Plus she brings a deep commitment to
environmental justice and green jobs for all.
I got to see that commitment up close, when I worked with Rep. Solis
on the Green Jobs Act of 2007. That innovative law is designed to get
skills and training to America's workers in the critical, emerging
industries of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Rep. Solis
co-authored and championed that bill -- and got it signed into law by
President Bush. She'll bring the same vision, political skill and
bipartisan approach to the Department of Labor.
But instead of getting to work solving the country's problems, Rep.
Solis has been forced to wait and watch while a few Republican Senators
try to make political hay of her husband's small business tax woes.
Her husband, Sam Sayyad, owed a few thousand dollars in back taxes. He
paid them. And the county says there is no reason to think he was
trying to avoid paying his taxes.
So enough is enough. It's time to put country before politics.
Give America the Labor Secretary we need and deserve. Confirm Hilda
Solis ... NOW.
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