Biden Administration March 22, 2021

Senate Confirms Longtime Biden Ally Marty Walsh To Head Labor Dept.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 04: Labor secretary nominee Marty Walsh testifies at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill February 4, 2021 in Washington, DC. Walsh was previously the mayor of Boston. (Photo by Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images)

A key post in President Biden’s cabinet has been settled.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was confirmed Monday to lead the Department of Labor with bipartisan ease. The vote was 68-29.

The Senate confirmed Marty Walsh to be Secretary of Labor, 68 ayes to 29 nays. With the confirmation of Walsh, the Senate has confirmed all 15 of President Biden’s Cabinet Secretaries for executive departments, per CBS News' John Nolen.
— Lauren Peller (@lauren_peller) March 22, 2021

Walsh, a longtime friend of the president’s, is considered one of the most crucial appointees in the Biden cabinet. As Secretary of Labor, he will oversee a department that is essential to Biden’s pro-worker agenda. Walsh had the support of labor groups like the AFL-CIO and is the first Labor Secretary in nearly half a century to come from a union background.

For the 1st time in 40 years, our Secretary of Labor is a union member.

My friend & union sibling @marty_walsh is a champion for working people. He knows firsthand how collective bargaining is key for strengthening the economy, fighting inequality & creating equal opportunity. pic.twitter.com/ARCtcfCmE9
— Liz Shuler (@lizshuler) March 22, 2021

While his confirmation process was relatively smooth compared to other Biden nominees, Walsh was peppered with questions about the disparity in wages and benefits for people of color and women and pandemic unemployment.

“We are dealing with a system of systemic racism that we have to continue to address. It’s not simply just throwing fancy words out there, but in policies, it’s actually doing the work, rolling up our sleeves.”

With Walsh’s appointment, the only two open seats in Biden’s cabinet are top science advisor and the head of the budget office. Eric Lander has been nominated for the science post, but the Senate has not yet voted. The White House has yet to name a new nominee after Neera Tanden withdrew her name from the process.