Nomination of Janet Dhillon

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BOOKER. Madam President, today I wish to speak on the nomination of Janet Dhillon, who is nominated to be Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC plays an important role in protecting American workers. I am deeply concerned that Ms. Dhillon will put the interests of corporations over those of employees, which is antithetical to the mission of the EEOC.

The EEOC is charged with ``enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.'' It also investigates claims of individuals who are retaliated against for complaining about discrimination. Needless to say, the EEOC plays a critical role in protecting American workers and ensuring that our Federal anti- discrimination laws are enforced and not disregarded by unscrupulous employers.

In choosing someone to sit on the Commission, it is critical that the administration select someone with a history of working to advance civil rights and workers' rights. Ms. Dhillon clearly does not have that background.

Ms. Dhillon has spent the vast majority of her career working for and representing the interests of large corporations. Notably, while she was employed at JC Penney, the company was harshly criticized for its handling of a garment factory accident in Bangladesh that killed more than 1,000 people. She also worked at the Retail Litigation Center, an entity that works to limit employees' and consumers' access to justice. These experiences stand in direct opposition to the mission of the EEOC.

Additionally, during her confirmation hearing, she would not commit to maintaining the EEOC's current position that title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBT people from discrimination. As one of the main authors of the Equality Act in the Senate, which clarifies that existing civil rights law forbids discrimination of LGBT people, I am deeply concerned Ms. Dhillon would not make that commitment at her hearing.

If the United States is going to be a beacon of liberty and freedom, we must not allow discrimination of any kind to continue. The EEOC plays an essential role in fulfilling that promise of eradicating discrimination and creating a workplace that reflects the best of American values: hard work, ingenuity, decency, and respect.

It is clear to me that Ms. Dhillon is not the right person for the job, and I urge my colleagues to vote against her nomination.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source