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Hilda Solis
25th United States Secretary of Labor
Incumbent
Assumed office February 24, 2009
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Elaine Chao
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 32nd district
In office January 3, 2001 – February 24, 2009
Preceded by	Matthew Martínez
Succeeded by	TBD
Member of the California Senate from the 24th district
In office December 1, 1994 – January 2, 2001
Preceded by	Arthur Torres
Succeeded by	Gloria Romero
Member of the California State Assembly from the 57th district
In office December 3, 1992 – November 30, 1994
Preceded by	Dave Elder
Succeeded by	Martin Gallegos
Personal details
Born	(1957-10-20) October 20, 1957 (age 67) Template:City-state
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse	Sam Sayyad
Residence(s)	El Monte, California, United States
Alma mater	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (BA) University of Southern California (MPA)
Occupation	Government analyst

Hilda L. Solis (born October 20, 1957) is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.

Solis was raised in La Puente, California by immigrant parents from Nicaragua and Mexico. She gained degrees from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and the University of Southern California and worked for two federal agencies in Washington, D.C. Returning to her native state, she was elected to the California State Assembly in 1992 and to the California State Senate in 1994. She was the first Hispanic woman to serve in the State Senate, and was reelected there in 1998. She became known for her work on environmental justice and was the recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2000.

Solis defeated a long-time Democratic incumbent to get elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, where she was commitmented to labor causes and environmental work. She was reelected to four additional terms from 2002 to 2008. In December 2008, President-elect Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Solis as the next United States Secretary of Labor. She took office after being confirmed by the United States Senate in February 2009, becoming the first Hispanic woman to serve as secretary in a U.S. cabinet.

Early life and education

Solis was born in Los Angeles, California as the daughter of immigrant parents who had met in citizenship class and married in 1953: Juana Sequeira (b. 1928, from Nicaragua) and Raul Solis (from Mexico). Her father was a Teamsters shop steward in Mexico and after coming to the U.S. worked at the Quemetco battery recycling plant in the city of Industry in the San Gabriel Valley. There he again organized for the Teamsters, to gain better health care benefits for workers. Her mother worked for over 20 years on the assembly line of Mattel once her children were all of school age and belonged to the United Rubber Workers. She stressed the importance of education and was a devout Roman Catholic.

Hilda is the third oldest of seven siblings (four sisters, two brothers) and grew up in a tract home in La Puente, California. She had to help raise her youngest siblings, and later said of her childhood: “It wasn’t what you would call the all-American life for a young girl growing up. We had to mature very quickly.” She graduated from La Puente High School, where she saw a lack of support for those wishing to continue their education. She took her younger sisters to the library to get them to follow her lead.

She was the first of her family to go to college, being accepted into the Educational Opportunity Program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (a program that assists low-income, first-generation college students) and paying for it with the help of government grants and part-time jobs. She graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. She then earned a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Southern California in 1981.

Early career

She served near the end of the Carter administration in the White House Office of Hispanic Affairs, where she was editor-in-chief of a newsletter during a 1980–1981 Washington semester internship as part of her master's program. At the start of the Reagan administration in 1981, she became a management analyst at the civil rights division of the Office of Management and Budget, but her dislike for Reagan's undoing of Carter's policies caused her to leave later that year.

In Washington, she met Sam H. Sayyad, whom she subsequently married. He owns an automobile repair center in Irwindale, California. The couple lives in a modest house in El Monte, California, not far from where she grew up.

Upon returning to California, she became Director of the California Student Opportunity and Access Program in 1982, to help disadvantaged youths gain necessary preparation for college. In particular, she worked with the Whittier Union High School District. In 1985, she was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Rio Hondo Community College District, campaigning hard and overtaking an incumbent and one other better established candidate to become the top placer. She was reelected in 1989. During her time of the board, she worked towards improved vocational job training at the college and sought to increase the number of tenured faculty positions held by minorities and women. She joined several California chambers of commerce, women's organizations, and Latino organizations. She gained added political visibility in 1991 when she was named a commissioner to the Los Angeles County Commission on Insurance by Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, a political mentor.

California State Legislature

Solis had the opportunity to run for the California State Assembly when, after California's 1991 redistricting, the incumbent Dave Elder in Solis' 57th State Assembly district was shifted into another district, while her new Representative retired. In the June 1992 Democratic primary to fill the open seat, Solis' opponents had the endorsement of powerful State Assemblyman Richard Polanco and a former incumbent. Solis had the support of Molina and U.S. Representative Barbara Boxer, in an effort that focused on door-to-door campaigning and featured Solis' mother making burritos for campaign volunteers. Solis came out on top of a four-way Democratic race, receiving 49 percent and besting her nearest competitor, future Assemblymember Ed Chavez, who received 31 percent. In the general election, Solis garnered 61 percent of the vote against Republican Gary Woods' 34 percent, and gained election to the Assembly. She was one of seven Latinos who won election to the Assembly in the wake of the redistricting and became collectively known as Los Siete. Solis was among the most liberal of this ideologically-diverse group.

In the State Assembly, Solis was prominent in the debate on illegal immigration to the United States, backing a bill to allow illegal immigrants to attend California colleges as long as they were state residents. She backed labor and opposed the tobacco industry in supporting a bill that banned smoking in all workplaces. She served on committees dealing with education, labor, and environmental issues, including a new committee that dealt with groundwater contamination and landfill leakage. She was not known as a strong orator.

The Democratic incumbent in Solis' 24th State Senate district, Arthur Torres, gave up his office when he received the 1994 Democratic nomination for the statewide office of California Insurance Commissioner. Solis won the Democratic primary with 63 percent of the vote against two opponents, then won the 1994 general election with 63 percent of the vote against Republican Dave Boyer's 33 percent. She became the first Hispanic woman to ever serve in State Senate and the first woman ever to represent the San Gabriel Valley; she was also the Senate's youngest member at that time. She was reelected in 1998 with 74 percent of the vote.

In the State Senate, Solis authored 17 bills to prevent domestic violence and for championing labor, education, and health care issues. She described herself as “a big believer that government, if done right, can do a lot to improve the quality of people’s lives.” In 1995, she sponsored a bill to raise the minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.75; it was strongly opposed by business organizations and the restaurant industry. When Governor Pete Wilson vetoed it, she organized a successful drive to make the issue into a ballot initiative the next year, using $15,000 of her own campaign funds and rallying union support. The initiative's passing garnered her statewide reputation and other states followed with similar initiatives. She chaired the labor committee and established herself as loyal to labor interests, but made a point of establishing relationships with Republicans on the committee. Solis held high-profile hearings on labor law enforcement following a summer 1995 sweatshop raid in El Monte that discovered over 70 Thai workers existing in slave-like conditions. She called garment manufacturers to explain themselves and supported tougher enforcement of anti-sweatshop laws. Republican State Senator Ray Haynes later said that Solis was "a committed liberal in the pockets of labor," but Republican State Senate Leader Rob Hurtt said of her, "We obviously didn't see eye to eye. But she was respectful. I'll give her credit; she was a very hard worker and she knew her stuff."

Solis was an environmental activist in the senate, due to concerns that stemmed from a childhood of growing up in smelling distance of the Puente Hills Landfill and making frequent visits to the San Gabriel Mountains. In 1997, she worked to pass environmental justice legislation with a law to protect low-income and minority communities from newly located landfills, pollution sources, and other environmental hazards in neighborhoods that already had such sites. She got the bill, SB 1113, approved over the strong opposition of various business interests, water contractors, and some state government agencies, but it was vetoed by Governor Wilson. A weakened measure was signed in 1999 by Governor Gray Davis. The law was the first legislation of its kind in the United States and Solis was the first woman awarded the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in 2000.

U.S. House of Representatives

Term limits would have prevented Solis from seeking reelection to the State Senate. After months of deliberation, she decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000 against 18-year incumbent Matthew G. Martínez in the 31st congressional district, which consisted largely of working class Hispanics and Asians. This action was criticized, and only two members of Congress, Barbara Boxer and Loretta Sanchez, supported her. Martínez was more conservative than many of his constituents, as he had supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), opposed gun control, and supported bans on specific abortion procedures, and was criticized for lacking effort and neglecting his district. Solis was able to obtain the support of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Emily's List, Handgun Control Incorporation, the Sierra Club and the California League of Conservation Voters, who helped her with volunteers and donors, so Solis outspent Martínez by a wide margin and had hundreds of volunteers working for her.

Solis faced controversy when her plan to lower the carpool restrictions on the El Monte Busway resulted in protests from bus riders and carpoolers that used the busway. The changes, which were implemented in January 2000, had not manifested themselves completely by the March 2000 primary election. She defeated the incumbent Martínez in the Democratic primary by a 62 percent to 29 percent margin. On primary night, Martínez called Solis "obnoxious" and accused her of untruthful advertising. He subsequently switched to the Republican Party, and urged Latinos to vote against her, to no great effect. Without a Republican opponent in the general election, Solis beat three little-known challengers from third parties and won 79 percent of the popular vote.

As congresswoman, Solis was most known for her work on environmental issues as a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Natural Resources, and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. She made the promotion of green-collar jobs a priority and sponsored the Southern California portion of the California Wild Heritage Act, which would create or enlarge many wilderness areas. Solis was not a member of the Education and Labor Committee, but championed the Employee Free Choice Act and was the only member of Congress on the board of American Rights at Work, a pro-union organization that strongly supports the act, for whom she served as treasurer starting in 2004. On trade she voted against both the Dominican Republic–Central America trade agreement and the U.S.-Peru trade agreement. Solis also expressed opposition to a purposed bilateral U.S.-Colombia trade agreement, citing concerns about human rights violations, and opposed legislation that would soften job safety requirements. She received 100 percent ratings from pro-labor groups for the years 2005 to 2007, and was a major recipient of union political donations. United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta is one of Solis' role models.

During her tenure in the House Solis was an advocate of comprehensive immigration reform. She was one of the leading opponents of H.R. 4437 a House bill sponsored by Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner and voted against it.

Solis supported legislation to reduce the number of teen pregnancies within Latina and African American communities and sponsored a bill, that became law in 2003, that granted U.S. citizenship to immigrants after one year of military service instead of the previous three years.

Solis is Roman Catholic and pro-choice. Along with 47 other Catholic members of Congress, she sent a letter to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington D.C. in order to dissuade him from refusing Catholic congresspersons the sacraments because of their pro-choice legislative voting. Solis signed a "Statement of Principles," stating her commitment to her faith as well as her disagreement with the Roman Catholic Church on some issues.

Solis was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and rated a lifetime "liberal quotient" of 99 percent from Americans for Democratic Action, and a lifetime two percent rating in 2007 from the American Conservative Union. From 2006 to 2008 she wrote blog entries for The Huffington Post. Solis believed in the importance of mentoring, and as a House member continued relationships she had established with up-and-coming political figures in her district, including California State Assemblywoman Judy Chu and Monterey Park Mayor Sharon Martinez.

After the 2000 census and subsequent redistricting, Solis' area became part of California's 32nd congressional district. She was reelected for additional terms in 2002, 2004, and 2006 by wide margins. She ran unopposed in 2008.

In 2006 and 2007, Solis was part of a falling out between several female representatives and Joe Baca, leader of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, arguing there was a "lack of respect afforded to women members of the Hispanic Caucus," which Baca denied. She had previously broken ties with the caucus's political action committee over its campaign contributions to Baca's sons. Baca responded that Solis "was a kiss-up" to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a remark for which he later apologized. Solis was considered a close ally of Pelosi, which helped her get a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee. She considered running for the position of Democratic Caucus Vice-Chairman for the 110th Congress, but deferred to incumbent John Larson after Rahm Emanuel chose to run for caucus chair, which Larson had been running for. Solis' aggressive fundraising for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee gained her a vice chair position on the Democratic Steering & Policy Committee. At the time of her selection to Obama's cabinet, she was considered a potential candidate for a leadership position in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Solis was a strong supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential bid; when that fell short, Barack Obama aggressively sought her support, as part of strengthening to his appeal to Hispanic voters. She supported Clinton's effort to establish a U.S. Public Service Academy and was a co-sponsor of a House bill to create one. Solis did not become wealthy from her political career; by 2008, her and her husband's main assets were retirement funds and his auto shop, valued at under $100,000.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on the Environment and Hazardous Materials – Vice Chair
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Telecommunications & the Internet
• House Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
• Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

U.S. House leadership assignments

• Democratic Steering & Policy Committee – Vice Chair
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus
  • 2nd Vice Chair for the 111th Congress
  • Health and the Environment Task Force – Chair

U.S. Secretary of Labor

On December 18, 2008, sources close to the Obama transition team identified Solis as the President-elect's choice for U.S. Secretary of Labor. The selection earned praise from the AFL-CIO and other labor organizations, but was not well received by business groups and the anti-union group Center for Union Facts. The official announcement was made by Obama on December 19. Solis' successor will be chosen in a special election in California's 32nd congressional district; she declined to endorse a candidate.

Solis' confirmation hearings were held on January 9, 2009, before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Committee chair Ted Kennedy repeatedly praised her, while, despite examination by Republican members, Solis declined to discuss specific policy issues, including the Employee Free Choice Act. Several days later, Senate Republicans said they might try to put a procedural hold on her nomination because of her unwillingness to answer questions in detail in the hearings. On January 22, a secret hold was placed on the nomination by an anonymous Republican. A series of written questions and responses between Republican members and Solis followed, during which she was more forthcoming. Republican Mike Enzi pressed her on whether her unpaid high-level positions at American Rights at Work constituted prohibited lobbying activity; Solis denied violation of rules of conduct and stated she had not helped lobbying. Solis did acknowledge that she had failed to report those positions on her annual House financial disclosure forms at the time, which a White House spokesperson argued was an unintentional oversight. Obama appointed Labor Department official Edward C. Hugler as Acting Secretary for the time period of the delay of Solis' nomination. The prolonged process was considered by some Republican aides to be a preview of future debates on labor issues between the Obama administration and Republicans in Congress.

A vote on Solis' committee confirmation was set on February 5, but postponed after news that Solis' husband Sam Sayyad had just paid $6,400 in outstanding state and local tax liens dating back to 1993 for his auto repair business. Sayyad had filed a separate tax return from Solis, and intended to contest the lien as they were for business taxes he believed to have already paid. A White House spokesperson stated Solis should not be penalized for any mistakes that her husband may have made. The tax problems were revealed while several other Obama nominations were troubled by similar issues. Committee Republicans subsequently indicated they would not blame Solis, but were still concerned about her ties to American Rights at Work. On February 11, 2009, the committee approved her nomination by voice vote with two votes opposed. Republicans agreed not to subject her nomination to a filibuster and on February 24, 2009, Solis was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 80–17. She resigned from the House and was sworn into her new position that evening.

Solis became the first Hispanic woman to serve as a regular U.S. cabinet secretary and the first cabinet secretary with Central American descent. In her first days as secretary, Solis affirmed an extension to unemployment benefits specified by the 2009 Obama stimulus package, and joined Vice President Joe Biden's Middle Class Task Force. In her first major speech as secretary, Solis pleased community forum attendees at Miami's Greater Bethel AME Church by vowing more aggressive enforcement of workplace protection laws. Solis stated: "You can rest assured that there is a new sheriff in town."

References

1. ^ "Biographies". National Journal. 2000-11-11. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
2. ^ Merl, Jean (2000-12-28). "Solis Prepares to Take Another Step Up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
3. ^ Solis, Hilda L. (2006-06-06). "Honoring Juana Sequeria Solis on Her 80th Birthday" (PDF). Congressional Record. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
4. ^ Kornblut, Anne E. (2008-12-19). "Obama to Announce Final Cabinet Picks". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
5. ^ Kimitch, Rebecca (2009-01-07). "Solis, a woman of many firsts, had a steady rise through California's political ranks". San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
6. ^ "CQ Politics in America Profile: Hilda Solis". Congressional Quarterly. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
7. Chipman, Kim and Drajem, Mark (2008-12-19). "Obama to Name Solis to Labor Post, Kirk as Trade Representative". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2008-12-29.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
8. ^ Morain, Dan and Larrubia, Evelyn (2009-01-09). "Hilda Solis' belief in unions runs deep". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-01-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
9. ^ Brown, Willie (1994-08-08). "Assembly Resolution No. 49 Relative to commending the Honorable Hilda Solis". California State Assembly. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
10. "EOP ALumni". California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Retrieved 2009-01-12. and "History of EOP". California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
11. ^ "The New Team: Hilda L. Solis". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
12. "Solis, Hilda (D) 24th District". California State Senate. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
13. ^ "Hilda Solis (Dem)". The Washington Times. 2006-05-05. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
14. ^ Barone, Michael (2008). The Almanac of American Politics. Washington: National Journal Group. pp. 247–249. ISBN 0-89234-116-0. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
15. ^ "Final Results 1990" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
16. "Informational Hearing: Instant Runoff and Ranked Choice Elections: Will They Lead to a Better Democracy?". California State Senate. 2005-10-25. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
17. "Final Results 1992" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
18. ^ Acuña, Rodolfo (1996). Anything But Mexican: Chicanos in Contemporary Los Angeles. Verso Books. p. 97. ISBN 1859840310.
19. ^ "Statement of Vote" (PDF). California Secretary of State. 1994-11-08. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
20. "Statement of Vote '94". California Secretary of State. 1994-06-03. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
21. "State Senator" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
22. ^ Lerer, Lisa (2009-01-13). "Department of Labor: Hilda L. Solis". The Politico. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
23. ^ Sullivan, Susan (2004-02-17). "L.A.'s Wild Fringe". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
24. ^ Ingram, Carl (2000-06-02). "Ethics Law Bars Solis From Keeping Courage Award". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
25. Meyerson, Harold (2008-12-19). "Labor's fresh face". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
26. ^ Cooper, Helene and Greenhouse, Steven (2008-12-19). "Picks for Labor and Trade Positions Disagree on Policy". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-19.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
27. ^ Weisman, Jonathan and Trottman, Melanie (2009-02-02). "Daschle Faces Questions on Trips". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-02-02.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
28. "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 443". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. 2005-07-28. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
29. "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 1060". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
30. "Solis Statement on Colombia Free Trade Agreement" (Press release). Hilda L. Solis Congressional Website. 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
31. ^ O'Connor, Patrick and Parnes, Amie (2008-12-18). "Labor ties drive Solis pick". The Politico. Retrieved 2008-12-24.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
32. Nicholas, Peter (2008-12-19). "Obama to name pro-union Rep. Hilda Solis to Labor post". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
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34. "Solis Introduces Teen Pregnancy Prevention Bill". United States House of Representatives. 2006-07-14. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
35. ^ "House Democrats Release Historic Catholic Statement of Principles". Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro. 2006-02-28. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
36. Woodward, Kenneth L. (2008-05-28). "A Political Sacrament". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
37. "Voting Records". Americans for Democratic Action. Retrieved 2009-03-01. Scores for years 2001 through 2007 were 100, for 2008 was 95 due to a missed vote.
38. "2007 Votes by State Delegation". American Conservative Union. Retrieved 2008-12-21. Lifetime averages are given.
39. "Rep. Hilda L. Solis". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
40. Ensher, Ellen A. (2005). Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Protégés Get the Most Out of Their Relationships. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 91–93. ISBN 078797952X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
41. "United States Representative" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
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43. "H.R.1671". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
44. "AP source: Rep. Hilda Solis is Obama's labor pick". Associated Press. USA Today. 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
45. Larrubia, Evelyn (2009-01-29). "L.A. County Federation of Labor endorses Chu for Congress". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
46. ^ Greenhouse, Steven (2009-01-09). "With Senate Hearing, Preparing for Change at Top of Labor Dept". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
47. Raju, Manu (2009-01-16). "GOP-ers may block Solis confirmation". The Politico. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
48. Friedman, Dan (2009-01-23). "Solis becomes latest nominee slowed by GOP roadblocks". CongressDaily. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
49. Nicholas, Peter (2009-01-30). "Labor nominee Hilda Solis hits GOP roadblock". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
50. ^ Nicholas, Peter (2009-02-05). "Republicans want Labor nominee to stop lobbying for 'card check' bill". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
51. ^ Fletcher, Michael A. (2009-02-05). "After Delay, Panel to Vote on Solis Nomination". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
52. ^ Kelley, Matt (2009-02-05). "Tax snafus add up for Obama team". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
53. Fletcher, Michael A. (2009-02-05). "Solis Senate Session Postponed in Wake of Husband's Tax Lien Revelations". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
54. ^ Raju, Manu (2009-02-10). "GOP won't derail Solis on hubby's taxes". The Politico. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
55. Hananel, Sam (2009-02-11). "Senate panel approves labor nominee Hilda Solis". Associated Press. Google News. Archived from the original on 2009-03-12. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
56. Fletcher, Michael A. (2009-02-24). "Solis Cleared for Senate Confirmation Later Today". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
57. Demirjian, Karoun (2009-02-24). "Senate Confirms Solis as Labor Secretary Despite GOP Concerns". Congressional Quarterly. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
58. "NALEO Congratulates Hilda L. Solis on Her Confirmation as Secretary of Labor" (Press release). National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
59. Stafford, Diane (2009-02-26). "New jobless claims hit 667,000". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
60. "Green jobs in focus as task force on middle class begins work". CNN. 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
61. Greenhouse, Steven (2009-03-07). "At Labor Gathering, Luxury, Jockeying and Applause for Secretary". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-08.

External links

• "Office of the Secretary of Labor". United States Department of Labor.

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart

v t e United States secretaries of labor
Secretaries of commerce and labor	Cortelyou Metcalf Straus Nagel
Secretaries of labor	Wilson Davis Doak Perkins Schwellenbach Tobin Durkin Mitchell Goldberg Wirtz Shultz Hodgson Brennan Dunlop Usery Marshall Donovan Brock McLaughlin Dole Martin Reich Herman Chao Solis Perez Acosta Scalia Walsh Su (acting)

v t e Members of the Cabinet of the United States
Cabinet members	Biden Harris Austin Becerra Blinken Buttigieg Cardona Garland Granholm Haaland Mayorkas McDonough Raimondo Su Todman Vilsack Yellen
Cabinet-level members	Bernstein Burns Guzman Haines Prabhakar Regan Tai Thomas-Greenfield Young Zients
acting Cabinet of Joe Biden

v t e Cabinet of President Barack Obama (2009–2017)
Cabinet Vice President Joe Biden (2009–2017) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (2009–2013) tenure John Kerry (2013–2017) Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner (2009–2013) Jack Lew (2013–2017) Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (2009–2011) Leon Panetta (2011–2013) Chuck Hagel (2013–2015) Ash Carter (2015–2017) Attorney General Eric Holder (2009–2015) Loretta Lynch (2015–2017) Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (2009–2013) Sally Jewell (2013–2017) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (2009–2017) Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke (2009–2011) John Bryson (2011–2012) Penny Pritzker (2013–2017) Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis (2009–2013) Tom Perez (2013–2017) Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius (2009–2014) Sylvia Mathews Burwell (2014–2017) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan (2009–2014) Julian Castro (2014–2017) Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (2009–2013) Anthony Foxx (2013–2017) Secretary of Energy Steven Chu (2009–2013) Ernest Moniz (2013–2017) Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (2009–2016) John King Jr. (2016–2017) Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki (2009–2014) Bob McDonald (2014–2017) Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano (2009–2013) Jeh Johnson (2013–2017)
Cabinet-level Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lisa P. Jackson (2009–2013) Gina McCarthy (2013–2017) Director of the Office of Management and Budget Peter R. Orszag (2009–2010) Jack Lew (2010–2012) Sylvia Mathews Burwell (2013–2014) Shaun Donovan (2014–2017) Trade Representative Ron Kirk (2009–2013) Michael Froman (2013–2017) Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice (2009–2013) Samantha Power (2013–2017) Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer (2009–2010) Austan Goolsbee (2010–2011) Alan Krueger (2011–2013) Jason Furman (2013–2017) Administrator of the Small Business Administration Karen Mills (2012–2013)* Maria Contreras-Sweet (2014–2017) White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (2009–2010) William M. Daley (2011–2012) Jack Lew (2012–2013) Denis McDonough (2013–2017)
* took office in 2009, raised to cabinet-rank in 2012 See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet

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