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Chao Confirmed as U.S. Labor Secretary
The U.S. Senate Monday confirmed Elain Chao as labor secretary by voice vote, making her the first Chinese American cabinet member in U.S. history.
Chao, married to Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, was warmly welcomed by both Republicans and Democrats during her confirmation hearings in Senate last week.
She expressed her support for the position of President George W. Bush that the 5.15 dollar hourly federal minimum wage be increased by one dollar, but individual states should have the option not going along with the increase.
Chao also promised to enforce the nation's labor laws "fully, fairly and evenly," while retooling the mammoth Labor Department and its job training programs for the new, Internet-oriented economy.
Chao came to the United State from China's Taiwan Province when she was eight years old. She served as deputy secretary of transportation in the administration of former President Bush. Before she was nominated as labor secretary, Chao was a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington.
Chao was nominated as labor secretary after Bush's first choice, conservative commentator Linda Chavez withdrew her name because of her involvement in sheltering an illegal immigrant.
With Chao's approval, the U.S. Senate has confirmed 12 of Bush' s Cabinet nominees.
The Senate is expected to approve Gale Norton as interior secretary, Christine Todd Whitman as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Robert Zoellick as U.S. trade representative later this week.
A vote on John Ashcroft, Bush's hotly contested choice for attorney general, is also expected this week.
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