Chairman Goodlatte Responds to President's Labor Secretary Nomination

Washington, D.C. - Following the President’s nomination of Thomas Perez as his next Labor Secretary, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) released the following statement.

Chairman Goodlatte: “I am shocked the President is moving forward with this nomination.  Last week the Department of Justice’s Inspector General (IG) outlined dysfunction at the Civil Rights Division, which Mr. Perez currently manages. The IG report brought to light insufficiencies in the Division’s management, significant impediments to its operation, and deep ideological polarization.  

“Furthermore, the House Judiciary Committee has been investigating a controversial, secret deal Mr. Perez helped arrange with the city of St. Paul, Minnesota that cost taxpayers millions of dollars. As the President’s nominee for Labor Secretary, Mr. Perez should face tough questions about this backroom deal he helped coordinate, his role in interfering with a Supreme Court case, and his mismanagement of the Civil Rights Division. The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to investigate these concerns.”