Hilda Solis resigns as Labor Secretary, White House says
US Labor Secretary Hilda Solis speaks during a Urban Economic Forum co-hosted by White House Business Council and US Small Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University on March 22, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. To her left is LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson.
Hilda Solis will not return as Labor Secretary when President Obama begins his second term on January 20, the White House announced today.
She joins a short list of other notable names stepping away, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson.
“Over the last four years, Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class,” Obama said, according to USA Today.
Solis is likely to pursue a position with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in her home state of California, The Associated Press said.
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Labor groups lauded her commitment to the working class while business leaders suggest she’s uncooperative, the AP said.
“As the daughter of parents who worked in factories, paid their union dues and achieved their goal of a middle-class life, and as the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been an incredible honor to serve,” Solis said, according to the AP.
The White House hasn't named a replacement, but later announced three cabinet members who will be staying, Reuters reported.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Attorney General Eric Holder and Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will all remain at their posts.
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