Julie A. Su (Chinese: 蘇維思; born February 19, 1969)[1] is an American attorney and government official who served as acting United States Secretary of Labor from March 11, 2023[2] to January 20, 2025.
She and other activists also petitioned for the workers to be able to stay in the United States under a visa program for those who cooperate with the government in criminal trials.
[17][18] Su's prospective nomination was pushed by AAPI political leaders and activists, including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).
Opponents criticized her leadership of California's unemployment agency during the COVID-19 pandemic,[20] when over a million legitimate applicants had their claims delayed or frozen,[3] while up to $31 billion was sent to fraudulent claimants (including to criminals belonging to national and international crime rings and inmates in the state's prison system).
Asian-American leaders, including members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, had lobbied the Biden administration to appoint her as Deputy Secretary after she wasn't chosen to lead the department.
[8] Su's nomination faced challenges on both sides of the aisle, due to the reluctance of Senator Joe Manchin to support her, as well as Republican criticism of her handling of COVID unemployment relief funding in California, wherein an estimated $32 billion meant to safeguard unemployed Californians during the pandemic ended up being paid out fraudulently.
She also faced criticism for attempting to use her position as Acting Secretary of Labor to forgive $29 billion of the federal Covid loans California received prior to the fraud.