Bill Samuel, the Government Affairs Director for the AFL-CIO joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the fallout from the deal to raise the national debt ceiling. Samuel also talked about the progress of Julie Su’s confirmation and a change in the status of the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2023.
Following the agreement between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and President Joe Biden that saw the debt ceiling increased and funding levels secured at the current rate for the next two years, there has been some disruption in Congress. McCarthy received major backlash following the deal. Now, McCarthy is considering several millions worth of cuts to domestic spending and returning to annual spending agreements. After seeing the original deal that barely avoided a government shutdown undone, it is Samuel’s belief that we could see another possible shutdown around the end of September.
Julie Su’s confirmation to become the new Labor Secretary is close to becoming a reality. It is believed that Su is one vote away from the 50 votes needed to cause a tie and require Vice President Kamala Harris to break that tie. As the acting Labor Secretary, Su was able to settle a labor dispute in California between the Longshoremen and their employers, avoiding another possible supply chain delay. But Samuel believes the labor movement needs a confirmed Labor Secretary.
Finally, the 2023 version of the PRO ACT has seen some positive movement in Congress. It was recently passed out of the Senate Labor Committee. This is the first time major labor legislation has been passed through that committee in nearly 30 years. It is not expected to make it through the full Senate vote this session, but if it did, Samuel believes the House wouldn’t even discuss the bill.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.