Senate committee advances Biden labor secretary nominee

By STEPHEN GROVES
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s nomination for the next labor secretary, Julie Su, has advanced through a Senate committee. But a handful of Democrats are withholding support, creating uncertainty ahead of a vote in the full chamber. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee advanced Su’s nomination on a party-line vote on Wednesday. Every Democrat on the committee voted in favor of Su. But a number of their Democratic colleagues have declined to publicly support Su. The White House has worked to win over the holdouts, but top Democrats acknowledge that Su’s nomination remains in doubt in the closely divided Senate.