U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh is leaving the Biden administration, according to people familiar with the matter.
He has been offered the job as executive director of the NHL Players' Association, which represents professional hockey players in Canada and the U.S. Walsh is the first agency head from President Joe Biden's Cabinet to step down.
The news about the job offer was first reported by Daily Faceoff.
His exit will cost Biden not only a major ally to organized labor, but one of his top campaigners.
In 2022 alone, Walsh traveled to 39 states to meet with workers and talk about the Biden administration's agenda.
The departure also leaves the agency without a permanent confirmed chief amid a contentious contract fight at West Coast ports that threatens to clog up U.S. supply chains.
"Marty was the first labor secretary from — and of — the union movement," Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement. "Marty helped solve labor crises big and small: from safety to supply chain issues to wages and pensions, all of which were vital during the pandemic and its aftershocks."
The agency's day-to-day policy work is expected to continue uninterrupted as Walsh vacates his office at the Frances Perkins Building. Deputy Secretary Julie Su is expected to become acting head of the agency, as set out under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and is likely already familiar with most of the staff within the Office of the Secretary.
At least two other Cabinet members are also leaving the beltway—White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain is expected to depart soon , and the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Cecilia Rouse, is expected to return to her teaching duties at Princeton University this spring. When Walsh will officially step down from his position as Secretary has not yet been announced.
Next in Line?
It's unclear who would be an obvious replacement for Walsh.
Biden could face pushback if Su were to lead DOL for too long, as many business lobbyists have raised concern that she could take the department in a more liberal direction based off of her work as California labor secretary.
During his nearly two-year tenure as head of the US Labor Department, Walsh drew both scrutiny and praise for his outspoken support of labor unions, notably joining striking Kelloggs workers on the picket line in Pennsylvania in 2021.
