Sen. Joe Manchin opposes Julie Su’s Labor Secretary nomination

Julie Su’s nomination to be secretary of the Labor Department appears to be one vote away from the kiss of death.

Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) officially came out in opposition to her nomination Thursday, citing her ardent progressive record. He had been on the fence publicly for months.

“I believe the person leading the U.S. Department of Labor should have the experience to collaboratively lead both labor and industry to forge compromises acceptable to both parties,” Manchin said in a statement.

“While her credentials and qualifications are impressive, I have genuine concerns that Julie Su’s more progressive background prevents her from doing this, and for that reason, I cannot support her nomination to serve as Secretary of Labor.”

Su is serving as acting Labor Secretary at the moment, but her bid to become solidified in the role has long been on on the skids, driven largely by Manchin’s and other moderate Democrats’ hesitations.

The White House first revealed President Biden’s intent to nominate her back in late February amid the departure of Marty Walsh to become the next executive director of the NHL Players’ Association.

At the time, she was the deputy secretary of labor, and news of her nomination drew wide acclaim from progressives and the labor movement.

Her nomination also came amid a push for more Asian-Pacific Americans in Biden’s Cabinet.

Su has drawn flack for her tenure managing California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency during the pandemic, which was plagued by fraud.

Nearly five months after her nomination became official, she has yet to receive a formal vote in the Senate.

Given the Democrats’ wafer-thin 51-49 seat control of the Senate, Manchin’s opposition could spell doom for Su’s bid.

She did pick up support from Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). More moderate Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mo.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who caucuses with the Democrats, haven’t said where they stand.

Republicans appear to be in lockstep against her. It is not clear what the Biden administration will do if her nomination fails to clear the upper chamber.

Manchin has long been a thorn in the side of Biden and progressives, scuttling more ambitious legislative objectives.

The West Virginia senator is staring down the barrel of what could be the most difficult political challenge of his career with term-limited Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) vying for his seat.

Manchin hasn’t revealed whether or not he plans on seeking another term and has left almost all options on the table, including a run for the presidency.