Confirmed. This week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Christopher P. Lu as deputy secretary of labor. Lu, who was nominated in January and confirmed Tuesday on a voice vote, previously served as Assistant to the President and White House cabinet secretary during President Obama's first term.
Lu confirmed for Labor #2; Whitaker for Colombia
Lu's confirmation makes him the first Asian American to serve in a deputy secretaryship during this administration. He is also apparently only the second Asian American to hold a Deputy Secretary position in history. (Elaine Chao, former deputy secretary of Transportation in the first Bush administration, was the first.)
Here is U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez's statment on Lu's confirmation:
"I commend the Senate on its confirmation of Chris Lu to be the new deputy secretary of labor. Chris is an enormously capable manager and a devoted public servant, whose commitment to President Obama’s opportunity agenda is second to none. He will continue to be a tenacious advocate for American workers, and I look forward to working with him on all of our priorities – from job training to wage protection to worker safety to benefits security. Welcome aboard, Deputy Secretary Lu."Lu replaces deputy secretary Seth Harris, who had been in the position since 2009.
More here: CAPAC Members Welcome Christopher Lu as Deputy Secretary of Labor
UPDATE: But wait, there's more! The Senate has confirmed Portia Y. Wu as Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration at the Department of Labor. Here's CAPAC's statement: CAPAC Members Applaud the Confirmation of Portia Y. Wu as Assistant Secretary of Labor
