Late to the Game, Wyoming’s Enzi Seeks to Derail Labor Nomination

by Mike Hall, Aug 27, 2009

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)—who brags about blocking health care reform (more on that later)—now wants to block President Obama’s choice of Patricia Smith to be the top Department of Labor lawyer.

Earlier this week, Enzi apparently got around to reading the transcripts of Smith’s May 7 confirmation hearing for solicitor of labor. Now, some three-and-a-half months after sitting through the hearing and voicing no objections to Smith’s answers or nomination, he wants Obama to withdraw Smith’s name, reports BNA’s Daily Labor Report (subscription required).

The Solicitor of Labor oversees enforcement of the nation’s most important labor laws and sets enforcement priorities. During her hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, Smith told the panel—including Enzi—she would bring to the job a “philosophy of proactive enforcement.”

The various divisions and agencies within the department, cannot by themselves, secure full compliance with the many important laws the department is charged with enforcing. They must have the full backing and cooperation of the attorneys in the solicitor’s office to prosecute violators.

Smith, who is currently commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor, was praised by HELP Committee chairman, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). In a statement prior to her confirmation hearing, Kennedy called her “uniquely qualified…with the experience, skill and vision to revitalize the agency in its core mission to support, protect and advocate for workers.”

The Solicitor of Labor must truly be the workers’ lawyer, with a clear vision of how to prioritize limited resources to most effectively promote workers’ rights. This is a weighty task, but one that Patricia Smith is eminently qualified to shoulder…with Patricia Smith at the helm, the Solicitor’s office will have a new focus, and a new commitment to putting the needs of American workers first.

Perhaps that’s what really has Enzi’s knickers in a knot.

Meanwhile, here’s Enzi proudly telling a Gillette, Wyo., town hall meeting that he’s the man responsible for blocking health care. Keep in mind, he is one of the so-called bipartisan “Gang of Six” Senate Finance Committee members who supposedly are crafting some sort of “compromise” health care reform bill.

If I hadn’t been involved in this process as long as I have and to the depth as I have, you would already have national health care. It’s not where I get them to compromise, it’s what I get them to leave out.

Thanks to Brian Buetler at TPM for posting the Enzi claim. We’ll let Mans Be, who commented on the TPM post, have the final words.

“If I Hadn’t Been Involved, You Would Already Have National Health Care.”

• Not losing health care coverage when you lose your job.
• People able to get care when they get sick.
• Insurance companies unable to stiff policyholders who actually make claims.

Yeah, that would really suck. Thanks a lot, Mike.

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