July 18th, 2013
12:54 PM ET
19 minutes ago
Senate confirms Obama labor nominee
Updated at 1:04 p.m. ET on 7/18
Washington (CNN) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted along party lines to confirm Thomas Perez as Labor Secretary.
Washington (CNN) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted along party lines to confirm Thomas Perez as Labor Secretary.
The 54-46 vote came after an agreement earlier this week that ended a GOP filibuster of his nomination.
Perez had come under heavy fire from Republicans for his actions when he headed the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice earlier in President Barack Obama's administration.
Perez had come under heavy fire from Republicans for his actions when he headed the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice earlier in President Barack Obama's administration.
The controversy surrounding Perez's nomination originated from Perez's role in a decision by the Justice Department not to become involved in a whistleblower case in Minnesota. Republican leaders charged that the Justice Department decided not to get involved in order to persuade a St. Paul municipality to stop its challenge against housing discrimination guidelines being taken up by the Supreme Court.
Despite GOP criticism, Democratic support for Perez remained strong.
At 51, Perez is so far the only Latino nominated to Obama's second-term Cabinet.
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