At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) questioned acting Labor Sec. Julie Su about allegations at the Department of Labor.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 So here's my question. Are you or are you not going to use your legal authority and
00:14 moral authority to open an investigation of the FDIC and help those young women over there
00:23 and help those young people of color over there? Senator, I am deeply concerned any
00:32 time a working person goes to work and does not get the dignity and respect that they
00:38 deserve. I am charged with enforcing certain laws based on the powers that Congress has
00:50 given to the Department of Labor. I appreciate that you are raising an issue involving working
00:58 people who have experienced clearly horrific sexual harassment and other kinds of abuse.
01:06 And what it demonstrates is that too often workers may feel like they have to endure
01:11 things that no one should have to endure because of a power imbalance in the workplace.
01:15 Excuse me for interrupting, I'm sorry but I've only had five minutes. Are you going
01:21 to do anything about it? That's all I'm asking. If you're not, just tell me.
01:28 I mean I answered the question about what, you know, there's an agency in the federal
01:34 government who presumably if the complaint has been made.
01:38 You're not going to do anything about it?
01:40 We'll be investigating it.
01:42 But you're not going to take any, in light of, I mean this is gut check time for you
01:46 Madam Acting Secretary. You either believe in protecting workers or you don't. I can't
01:55 believe you would just, you can, we can debate how many lawyers can dance on the head of
02:01 a pen but you certainly have legal and moral authority to investigate labor violations.
02:06 I mean I, yes.
02:08 I'm honestly surprised. I thought you would pounce on this like a ninja. I thought you'd
02:13 say, like a ninja. Pounce on it like a ninja. I've heard that expression in movies before.
02:22 I thought you were going to say, Kennedy, I'm on it. This is the most disgusting stuff
02:27 I've ever heard in my life, in the history of ever. But you're kind of waffling on me
02:34 Like, well, I don't know what I'm gonna do.