The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Nomination of David Weil (Executive Calendar)” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the in the Senate section section on page S1855 on March 30.
The Department provides billions in unemployment insurance, which peaked around 2011 though spending had declined before the pandemic. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, claimed the Department funds "ineffective and duplicative services" and overregulates the workplace.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Nomination of David Weil
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, right now, we are in the midst of a strong economic recovery and record job growth.
But despite the progress we have made, the fact remains that during this pandemic, corporations and rich CEOs made huge profits, while workers still struggle to make ends meet and put food on the table.
If we want to build back an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the very top, then we need be taking action to lower costs, like Democrats have been pushing for, and we need leaders at the Department of Labor who are committed to ensuring workers get every cent of the paychecks they earn and holding corporations accountable when they try to take advantage of workers and commit wage theft.
Dr. David Weil has a long history as a champion for workers, and I come to the floor today to make clear: He is the exact right person to lead the Wage and Hour Division of the DOL.
Dr. Weil is an exceptional choice for this role with just the right experience for the job; in fact, he has already served in this position under the Obama administration. During his past tenure, he proved himself a capable leader, with a steadfast commitment to a simple goal: ensuring workers across the country are paid the wages they earn.
It was under his leadership that the Wage and Hour Division boosted its efforts to enforce the critical set of laws that protect workers against employers undercutting the minimum wage, failing to pay overtime, forcing workers to work ``off the clock,'' and so much more.
These are protections that workers depend on, especially workers who earn low wages, women, and people of color who most often face wage theft.
So we have got to make sure corporations are following them--and that is exactly what David Weil did. He cracked down on corporations who violated the law and denied workers the pay they were owed, and at one point, the division even uncovered an investigation into garment factories that secured $1.3 million in back pay for cheated workers.
While leading the Agency, he also worked to expand overtime pay for 12 million more workers, close loopholes to help stop employers from misclassifying workers in order to pay them less, and crack down on Federal contractors who weren't following the law and paying fair wages. It has been frustrating to see the previous administration undermine these efforts and reverse this progress, but confirming David Weil to return to the Wage and Hour Division is an important step to put workers first and get us back on the right track. A vote for Dr. Weil is a vote to put wages back in workers' pockets and a vote to hold corporations accountable for wage theft.
So I urge all my colleagues to join me today in sending Dr. Weil back to the DOL.
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