Hatch Votes Against Thomas Perez For Labor Secretary

Statement

U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a current member and former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today voted against the nomination of Thomas Perez to be the next Secretary of Labor. Perez was confirmed by a vote of 54 to 46. Hatch opposed Perez's nomination during committee consideration as well.

"I voted against Mr. Perez in the HELP Committee because I had serious reservation about his judgment and efforts to use the legal and judicial system to further an ideological agenda," Hatch said. "I was hopeful that Mr. Perez would have been more forthcoming in addressing these issues before the full Senate voted on his confirmation, but unfortunately that was not the case. The questions regarding Mr. Perez were significant, and the unwillingness of both he and the Administration to answer them -- including refusing to answer a Congressional subpoena -- left me no choice but to vote against his confirmation."

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