Labor Secretary Walsh Leaving Biden Administration

February 17, 2023 by Dan McCue
Labor Secretary Walsh Leaving Biden Administration
FILE - Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh speaks before President Joe Biden at a United Steel Workers of America Labor Day event in West Mifflin, Pa., Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Rebecca Droke, File)

WASHINGTON — Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, a longtime friend and advisor to President Joe Biden, is leaving the administration in March to become the next executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.

The association announced Walsh’s career change on Thursday and the labor secretary confirmed his departure shortly thereafter.

He is the first Cabinet-level member of Biden’s inner circle to leave the administration.

In the past few weeks two other close advisers to the president, Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council, announced their own departures.

“Earlier this week I met with [the president] and he accepted that my time as labor secretary will conclude mid-March,” Walsh said in the first of a series of tweets he posted on the matter Thursday afternoon.

“As a second-generation card-carrying union member, serving as your secretary of labor in the most pro-worker administration in our history is an immense privilege,” he added.

On Friday, the president weighed in calling Walsh “one tough union chief” at the start of a lengthy statement.

“His record at the Department of Labor is a testament to the power of putting a card-carrying union member in charge of fighting for American workers,” the president said. 

“Marty has gone to bat for working families every day, and with his help, this administration has helped workers recover from a historic economic downturn and launch a new era of worker power.

“Through Marty’s leadership, this administration has helped unions secure a historic pay raise for rail workers, continued the fight for paid sick days for all American workers, strengthened workplace protections, and ushered in a historic surge in union organizing. He knows that unions make us all stronger, no matter what we do or where we come from,” Biden continued.

“My dad used to say that a job is about a lot more than a paycheck, it’s about dignity and it’s about respect,” Biden said. “Few people understand that more than Marty. I thank Marty for his work, which has made life better for millions of working Americans, and will serve as a model for all future labor secretaries who truly value American working people.”

Walsh also used his twitter account on Thursday to tout the experience of one possible successor, Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su, whom he thanked for her “exceptional work” and her support during his tenure as secretary.

Su is considered the front runner to succeed Walsh, though former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is also said to have an interest in the post. 

Meanwhile, getting ahead of the curve, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus recently threw its support behind Su’s potential appointment as Walsh’s replacement in a significant public display of support for an Asian American to join Biden’s Cabinet.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • Hockey
  • Marty Walsh
  • National Hockey League
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    White House

    July 9, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Trump Suggests Federal Takeovers of New York City and Washington, DC

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suggested a federal takeover of the District of Columbia Tuesday. He said he appointed his... Read More

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suggested a federal takeover of the District of Columbia Tuesday. He said he appointed his chief of staff to meet with the city's mayor to discuss the possibility of a federal intervention. Trump says local leaders are ineffective and that the... Read More

    Trump's Tariffs May Cast a Pall Over Rubio's First Official Trip to Asia

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweeping tariffs set to be imposed by President Donald Trump next month may cast a pall over his top diplomat’s first... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweeping tariffs set to be imposed by President Donald Trump next month may cast a pall over his top diplomat’s first official trip to Asia this week — just as the U.S. seeks to boost relations with Indo-Pacific nations to counter China’s growing influence in the region.... Read More

    July 8, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Lifts Stay on Trump Effort to Slash Federal Workforce

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a lower court’s order that had prevented the Trump administration from moving... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a lower court’s order that had prevented the Trump administration from moving forward with planned mass layoffs and the dismantling of a number of federal agencies. In its unsigned ruling, the court said an executive order signed by... Read More

    July 7, 2025
    by Katelyn Sims
    Netanyahu, Trump Meeting to Discuss Iran, Gaza

    WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump are meeting at the White House on Monday for... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump are meeting at the White House on Monday for discussions no doubt centering on their respective future policies regarding Iran and the possibility of a hostage release deal in Gaza. Netanyahu arrived in the U.S.... Read More

    Democrats See Trump’s Big Bill as Key to Their Comeback

    WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa (AP) — It is big and it is beautiful, President Donald Trump says. But for many Democratic leaders, the tax... Read More

    WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa (AP) — It is big and it is beautiful, President Donald Trump says. But for many Democratic leaders, the tax break and spending cut package passed by Trump's Republican allies in Congress on Thursday represents the key to the Democratic Party's resurgence. Even before the final vote,... Read More

    July 3, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    House Passes ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ White House Signing Ceremony Planned for Friday

    WASHINGTON — House Republicans passed the so-called “big, beautiful bill” on Thursday, sending it on to the White House where... Read More

    WASHINGTON — House Republicans passed the so-called “big, beautiful bill” on Thursday, sending it on to the White House where President Donald Trump is planning a signing ceremony for Friday. The 218-214 vote in the chamber was a high victory for both the president and House... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top