UPDATE 04/27/2022 at 9:30 a.m.: The cloture motion to expedite consideration of Lisa Gomez's nomination was withdrawn late April 26, further delaying consideration of her nomination.
It looks like the full Senate may finally vote on President Biden’s nominee to lead the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) filed a cloture petition on April 25 to limit debate on the nomination of Lisa Gomez to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Labor. Under Senate rules, the filing of a cloture petition typically takes 48 hours to “ripen,” so that would set up a final vote for later this week, assuming the Senate approves the motion.
Gomez’s nomination process has been a long and winding road. Her nomination was first announced in July 2021, but the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee did not hold a hearing until October. Following that hearing, her nomination was held up because Republican members wanted to dig deeper into her views on environmental, social and corporate governance investing.
The committee eventually approved Gomez’s nomination in December. But because she was not approved by the full Senate before the end of the year, she had to be renominated and be considered once again by the committee, which approved her nomination in January on a near-party line vote of 12-9, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) the only Republican to vote in favor.
Gomez currently is a partner at labor law firm Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP, representing employer and union pension plans. She joined the firm in 1994, became a partner in 2002 and currently serves as Chair of the firm’s Management Committee.
If the Senate confirms Gomez, she will replace Ali Khawar, who has been serving as Acting Assistant Secretary for the EBSA and would remain as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary.
Photo: Daniel D'Ottavio/Cohen, Weiss & Simon LLP
