Senate Confirms Eugene Scalia as Labor Department Secretary

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 19: Eugene Scalia attends his confirmation hearing to become the next U.S. Labor Secretary in front of the the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on September 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. Scalia, son of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is …
Astrid Riecken/Getty Images
Joshua Caplan

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Eugene Scalia, the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to lead the Department of Labor.

Senators voted 53-44 along party lines to confirm Scalia.

On Tuesday, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved attorney Scalia’s nomination, 12-11, which cleared the way for the full Senate to vote.

Committee chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said Scalia’s work as a law firm partner on labor, employment, and regulatory matters makes him qualified to lead the department. Scalia also served for a year as the Labor Department’s top lawyer during the George W. Bush administration.

“Businesses and workers need a secretary of Labor who will steer the department with a steady hand,” Alexander said before the vote.

Scalia will leave his position as a partner at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to head up the DOL.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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