DOL’s EBSA Secretary Nominee Advanced by HELP Committee

The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Thursday advanced the nomination of Lisa Gomez to serve as assistant secretary for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) at the Department of Labor (DOL), setting the stage for a full Senate vote.

The nomination advanced by a partisan committee vote of 12 to nine. Senators Patty Murray, D-Washington; Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont; Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin; Patty Murphy, D-Washington; Tim Kaine, D-Virginia; Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire; Tina Smith, D-Minnesota; Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada; Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico; John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado; and Lisa Murkowski, D-Alaska, voted in favor of the nomination.

Senators Richard Burr, R-North Carolina; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana; Mike Braun, R-Indiana; Roger Marshall, R-Kansas; Tim Scott, R-South Carolina; Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama; Jerry Moran, R-Kansas; and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, voted against the nomination.

“All of the nominees we voted on today are highly qualified, and I urge all my colleagues to support them so they can get to work serving workers, retirees, students, patients and families across the country,” Murray said during the hearing. “I’ll work hard to get them confirmed by the full Senate as soon as possible.”

Additional action Thursday in the HELP Committee saw the advancement of the nomination of Jose Javier Rodriguez to serve as assistant secretary for employment and training at the DOL by a narrower vote of 11 to 10.