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Updated 46 minutes ago
IRISH AMERICAN DEMOCRAT Marty Walsh, the current mayor of Boston, has been nominated as the secretary of labor in Joe Biden’s administration.
Walsh is the son of immigrants from Connemara, Co Galway and can speak the native language.
Introducing Walsh at a press conference in Delaware this afternoon, Biden joked that the only downside to nominating his “good friend” was that his parents “weren’t from Mayo, they’re from Galway.”
“Marty was born and raised in Dorchester. I know him, tough as nails, diagnosed with cancer at seven, beat him at 11, “said Biden.
“Marty knows that worker power means not only protecting the right to unionize, but encouraging union collective bargaining.”
Accepting the nomination, Walsh said, “I look forward to working with you to provide good jobs with dignity, security, prosperity and purpose for all American families.”
Walsh has visited Ireland numerous times, making his first official overseas trip to the country as mayor in 2014.
He was greeted on his 10-day trip that year by local dignitaries and spoke to reporters in Irish.
Speaking at Shannon Airport, he said the visit was a “milestone for me personally.”
“I look forward to working with you to provide good jobs with dignity, security, prosperity and purpose for all American families.”
Source: Shannon Airport / YouTube
The current United States Secretary of Labor is Eugene Scalia. The person holding the position is a member of the United States Cabinet and is responsible for controlling the Department of Labor.
Speaking at today’s press conference, Biden said that he had been considering nominating Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as his secretary of labor, but ultimately decided against doing so because it could have put the fragile Senate Democratic majority at risk.
“I seriously considered nominating my friend Bernie Sanders for this position,” Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, announcing the key nominees for his economic team.
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“I’m sure he could have done a fantastic job,” Biden said of Sanders, who represents the left wing of the party and challenged Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination. “I cannot think of a more passionate ally for the workers of this country.”
Biden said he and Sanders agreed not to proceed with the nomination after Democrats swept two Senate elections in Georgia, giving the party a slim majority in the body.
Democrats and Republicans now have 50 Senate seats, but Democrats hold the majority through Vice President Kamala Harris’ runoff vote.
“Bernie and I agreed – in fact Bernie said – we cannot jeopardize the Senate’s control over the outcome of a special election in Vermont,” Biden said.
Biden said he and Sanders had agreed they would “work together” and meet with “working men and women who feel forgotten, abandoned in this economy.”
“We agreed that we will work closely on our shared agenda,” he said.
With reports from Adam Daly and AFP
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