March 18, 2013

 Washington, D.C.---Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement after President Barack Obama nominated Thomas Perez to be the nation’s next Labor Secretary. Perez currently serves as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice:

“I applaud President Obama for nominating Thomas Perez to head the Labor Department. Perez has already showed his commitment to defending the American dream and upholding every American’s civil liberties, and his professional background makes him qualified for a job vital to our economy and the growth of the middle class. He is pragmatic and a believer in consensus who works equally well with CEOs and labor leaders. But it is also his life story, growing up the son of immigrants in upstate New York, that has given him an understanding of the realities facing American families and how decisions made in Washington impact them.

“Mr. Perez is highly qualified and deserves a speedy confirmation. Few public servants have fought as hard to protect the rights and freedoms enshrined by the Constitution as Mr. Perez. I hope Senate Republicans will put partisanship aside and look at his record and values in an objective manner.”

###