Senate confirms Thomas Perez as labor secretary

The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to confirm President Barack Obama’s nomination of Thomas E. Perez as secretary of the U.S. Labor Department.

The 54-46 party-line vote came one day after the Senate voted 60-40 to end a Republican filibuster on the nomination.

The vote followed an agreement between Senate Democrats and Republicans this week to allow up-or-down votes on several executive department nominees.

The Senate Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Fred Hochberg to head the U.S. Export-Import Bank.

Perez succeeds Hilda Solis, who resigned in January.

Congressional Republicans accused Perez, the outgoing head of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, of inappropriately intervening in a St. Paul, Minn., lawsuit seeking to limit fair housing claims.

With the vote on the Perez nomination out of the way, the Senate moved on to consideration of Gina McCarthy’s nomination as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, The Hill reported. A confirmation vote could come as early as Thursday, the report said.

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Category: National