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Tom Perez

Official portrait of United States Secretary of Labor Tom Perez (link)

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Tom Perez is the former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and a former Secretary of the Department of Labor during the Obama administration. A 2016 report from National Public Radio stated he was “considered the most liberal member of Obama’s Cabinet.”  Similarly, a 2016 analysis of the economic impact of regulatory policies implemented by the Perez-led Department of Labor concluded he had “tripled the output of significant regulations” and hiked the cost of the regulatory burden by $46 billion per year. 1 2 3

Perez’s leadership of the DNC was controversial with the most left-leaning side of the Democratic Party. He won the DNC post after defeating left-leaning U.S. Representative and current Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the favorite of the socialist-friendly wing of the party that supported U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I—Vermont) for president in 2016. After Perez became DNC chair, Sanders and Ellis supporters were controversially removed from the DNC executive committee and other leadership posts. In an attempt to heal the rift from this, Perez appeared with Sanders on a “unity tour” that “backfired,” according to one media account, when Perez “was met with boos at several of the tour’s stops.” A 2018 analysis written by left-leaning journalist Ryan Cooper judged Perez to be a “convenient stooge” deployed by “wealthy centrist liberals” to “keep the party machinery out of the left’s hands.” 4 5 6

Perez faced pressure to resign as DNC chair following the Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucus in February 2020 that resulted in days-long counting delays, technological failures, and other controversies leading to nearly a week of confusion regarding which candidate had won. U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D—Hawaii), accused Perez of “a failure of leadership” as a result of the Iowa outcome, U.S. Rep. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) said Perez’s leadership had been “virtually nonexistent,” and Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) declared Democrats to be a “a party in chaos.” All three Democratic members of Congress predicted or suggested Perez’s imminent resignation. When questioned by CNN’s Jake Tapper about these challenges to his position, Perez said he would not resign. 7 8

In June 2021, Perez announced a bid for Governor in Maryland. 10

Following the death of his father, according to a profile in the left-leaning American Prospect, Perez “found a father figure in a friend’s father, who was an unemployed Teamsters union member”—a relationship the Prospect characterized as influencing Perez’s perspective regarding labor unions. 11

As a teenager and college student at Brown University, Perez worked delivering newspapers and on a trash truck–formative work experience he later cited during his time as U.S. Secretary of Labor. 12 13

Perez attended graduate school at Harvard, earning degrees in law and public policy and graduating cum laude in 1987. 14 He is the only one of his siblings to not become a doctor. 15

Early Career

After clerking for a federal judge, Perez worked for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, rising to senior positions during the presidential administration of Bill Clinton. 16 He was Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, where he chaired the Worker Exploitation Task Force. Later in the administration, he was Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. 17

In these positions, Perez focused attention and department resources on hate crimes—crimes alleged to have been committed on the basis of racial, sexual orientation, gender, religious or other bigotry. Early in his career, Perez successfully prosecuted several white supremacists in Texas whose murders of blacks were intended to touch off a race war. 18 19

In between his stints with the Clinton administration, Perez was counsel to then-Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) and an advisor to the senator on issues related to criminal justice and civil rights. 20 At both the Clinton  administration and with Kennedy’s office, Perez focused heavily on hate crimes, including working on the first hate crimes bill introduced by Kennedy. 21

Maryland Politics

After George W. Bush was elected President in 2000, Perez taught at the University of Maryland School of Law before winning a seat on the Montgomery County Council, in Montgomery County, Maryland. The first Latino elected to the council, Perez sought to increase worker protections, predatory lending laws, and medical clinics serving those without health insurance. His plan to import cheaper drugs from Canada was blocked by the Food and Drug Administration. In 2009, the Council sued the FDA over drug regulations. 22 23 24

After becoming Maryland’s highest-ranking elected official of Hispanic descent as council president in 2005, Perez ran for state attorney general. Despite significant support among left-of-center union, environmental, and education advocates, his campaign was declared ineligible because he lacked the 10 years of in-state law practice required by the state’s constitution. After this setback, he was appointed by Maryland governor Martin O’Malley as state Secretary of Labor, holding that position from 2007 to 2009. 25 26

In June 2021, Perez announced a bid for Governor in Maryland. 28 29

Some other examples include:

Hate Crimes Law

One of the first major laws Perez enforced was the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. The Act was a sweeping federal hate crimes law which increased federal support to state-level and local hate crime prosecutions and investigations; it also created the first federal hate crimes statute related to violence on the basis of factors such as sexual orientation, race, and religion. 30 Its namesakes are James Byrd, a black man who was dragged to his death by white racists in 1998, and Matthew Shepard, a gay teenager killed the same year. 31

The hate crimes law was opposed by many conservatives on the basis that some of its provisions violated rights to free expression about sexuality, and that it constituted mind-reading about intentions. However, a lawsuit by Christian conservatives regarding these concerns was dismissed in 2010 by a federal court because the plaintiffs had stated no intent to harm people who are same-sex attracted. 32

Matthew Shepard’s murder was initially portrayed as a case where his killers sought to harm him because of his sexual orientation. But while the murderers received life sentences and their actions galvanized support for hate crimes laws and other measures to support people who are same-sex attracted, a 2013 book by award-winning journalist Stephen Jimenez (who is himself a gay man) concluded that Shepard’s death was most likely due to the victim’s use of drugs with his killers. Jimenez concluded that Shepard may have dealt drugs and may have been in a sexual relationship with one of his murderers. 33

General Anti-Discrimination Enforcement

One of Perez’s major initiatives in 2009 and 2010 was investigating and prosecuting housing discrimination during and after the Great Recession. In a 2010 testimony to Congress, Perez said his agency had filed 46 Fair Housing Act-related lawsuits when landlords and others allegedly discriminated against minorities. Perez also outlined how the agency agreed to a $6 million settlement with subsidiaries of lending giant AIG related to allegations of anti-black discrimination by brokers with whom the AIG subsidiaries had agreements. It was the first time that the DOJ went after a lender for not keeping a close eye on these types of broker practices. 34

In 2012, Perez announced a $21 million settlement with banking giant SunTrust – the second-largest of its kind in the history of the department – after the DOJ prosecuted the company for allegedly not holding staff and partners accountable for discriminatory practices. SunTrust staff allegedly engaged in discriminatory lending practices for five years, affecting more than 20,000 black and Hispanic families in 34 states who were given loan terms more expensive than “similar qualified white borrowers.” In a statement about the settlement, Perez said SunTrust didn’t have policies in place to prevent discrimination and “did not require” staff “to justify or document the reasons” for changes in loan prices “not based on borrower risk.” The company also did not “adequately monitor for and fully remedy the effect of racial disparities” in pricing changes unrelated to borrower risk. 35

Joe Arpaio Investigation

Perez’s department investigated Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio for allegedly illegal racial discrimination against immigrants and others through the sheriff’s aggressive implementation of laws related to immigration enforcement. 36 Arpaio was later found guilty for similar charges and sentenced to prison by a federal judge for violating a court order related to Arpaio’s actions, though he was pardoned by President Donald Trump. 37

George Zimmerman Investigation

Perez also led his department to investigate whether George Zimmerman violated Trayvon Martin’s civil rights after Zimmerman killed Martin in 2012. 38 The investigation was concluded after Perez moved to the U.S. Department of Labor, and the DOJ determined that there was not enough evidence to determine if Zimmerman violated Martin’s civil rights. 39

St. Paul Housing Prosecution

Perez’s office prosecuted the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, over poor housing standards. Because minorities were disproportionately affected Perez pushed for the city to change its standards under the anti-discrimination Fair Housing Act. The city appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court but ended up dropping its challenge. Senate Republicans used the case against Perez when he was nominated to be Secretary of the Department of Labor. 40

New Black Panther Party Prosecution

Perez was criticized by conservatives for working with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to drop charges against the New Black Panther Party over voter intimidation claims. A video appeared to show members of the Party threatening voters in 2008; however, the DOJ determined that the Party was not responsible because the intimidation was not widespread and because the DOJ could not prove the Party’s intent was to intimidate. 41

Obama Administration Obama Administration: Department of Labor

Perez’s tenure as Secretary of the Department of Labor lasted from July 2013 until the end of the Obama administration. 42 At the end of that period a December 2016 National Public Radio report declared him to be “a man considered the most liberal member of Obama’s Cabinet.” 43 44

Similarly, in January 2016, Sam Batkins, the director of regulatory policy at the American Action Forum, analyzed the economic impact of regulatory policies implemented by the Department of Labor when led by Perez. Batkins concluded Perez had “tripled the output of significant regulations” and become “exactly the kind of activist regulator that many senators feared he would become in 2013.” The American Action Forum researcher calculated that Perez had hiked the cost of the regulatory burden by $46 billion per year, and specifically cited the “overtime rule” (noted below) for inflicting $2.9 billion in additional annual costs on employers. 45

Examples of policies advocated during Perez’s leadership of the Department of Labor include:

Financial Advisor Regulations

The Department proposed and crafted a regulatory rule which declared that financial advisors must put their interests behind investors’ interests. 46 The fiduciary rule was challenged by parts of the industry, and thrown out by a court in 2018 as an overreach of the agency’s authority. The rule’s implementation was delayed by the Trump administration prior to the court decision. 47

The Overtime Rule

The Department of Labor implemented an overtime requirement rule that doubled the weekly salary a staff member could earn before surpassing the ceiling at which overtime rules no longer apply. The rule was originally slated to apply to people making $1,000 per week, or $50,000 per year, and raise employer costs – and employee pay – by over $1 billion annually. Nevada and Texas sued to stop the rule’s implementation, which impacted over four million workers who earned between $455 and $913 per week. The rule’s implementation was halted by a court in 2017. 48 49 50

Tech Firm Discrimination Claims

In the final weeks of the Obama administration, the Perez-led Department of Labor filed lawsuits against Google, Oracle, and other large companies, claiming they engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. 51 The claim was based upon statistical data related to population ratios, not pro-active claims of discrimination. 52

Opposition to Free Trade

Perez opposed the 1990s-era North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but supported the Obama administration’s efforts to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal in 2015. Left-of-center activists said the TPP negotiations would harm the bargaining power of labor unions, a claim Perez disputed. 53

DNC Chairman

Perez endorsed Hillary Clinton for President of the United States in 2016 and was considered a contender to be picked as a possible Vice President candidate with her. Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump and the onset of the Trump administration ended Perez’s period at the Department of Labor in January 2017. 54 55

Perez was elected Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in early 2017. He was supported as the more establishment-centrist choice as opposed to his chief rival for the post, former left-leaning U.S. Representative and current Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. 56

Disputes with Left-leaning Democrats

Perez took charge of the party in the middle of a significant rivalry between the party’s left-leaning and establishment left-of-center factions. He was criticized for overseeing the removal of left-leaning Democrats and supporters of self-described socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders from party leadership. For example, James Zogby, described as a “prominent Sanders backer” by NBC News, was ejected from the DNC executive committee after holding the post for 15 years. Similarly, Ray Buckley, a supporter of Ellison for DNC chair, was removed from both the party’s executive committee and rules committee. Zogby told NBC his removal worked against healing the party’s ideological rift, and Buckley said his own ejection was a “very disappointing” development. Perez named Ellison as his deputy chair as part of an effort to bring the party together. 57

Shortly after his election as DNC chair Perez also embarked on a so-called “unity tour” with Bernie Sanders. According to a report in the New York Observer, the effort “backfired” and Perez “was met with boos at several of the tour’s stops and supporters showed up in favor of Sanders—not the DNC.” 58

Perez has also been accused of ignoring or opposing leftist priorities. In an August 2018 report, left-leaning journalist Ryan Cooper called Perez a “convenient stooge” deployed by “wealthy centrist liberals” to “keep the party machinery out of the left’s hands.” A commentator whose work is featured in a wide variety of publications (such as The Week, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and The Nation), Cooper also criticized Perez for insufficient leftist zeal on climate change and allowing energy industry employees to have influence within the DNC. 59 60

Fundraising Controversies

The DNC has faced fundraising difficulties during Perez’s tenure. In May 2017, a report in the New York Observer was titled “The DNC Is Debt Ridden, Unpopular and Failing.” According to the commentary the DNC was $1.9 million in debt, and that even though Perez had been “recruited by Barack Obama to appease the party’s donors, lobbyists and PACs” that even these Perez supporters had “refused to prop up the failing brand.” As of April 2020, the DNC reportedly held a cash reserve of $35.9 million, compared to $77.1 million held by its major party rival, the Republican National Committee. 61 62

2020 Iowa Caucus Controversy

Perez faced pressure to resign as chairman of the DNC after a disastrous Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucus in February 2020 that resulted in days-long counting delays, technological failures, and other controversies leading to nearly a week of confusion regarding who won the primary (the campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg both claimed victory). 63

Among the fallout was a CNN report that “presidential campaigns for Buttigieg, Sanders and Elizabeth Warren submitted their respective evidence of inconsistencies from the caucuses count to the Iowa Democratic Party,” and that a fourth presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D—Hawaii), had accused Perez of “a failure of leadership and called for Perez to resign. Additional criticism included U.S. Rep. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi), who told Politico that Perez’s leadership was “virtually nonexistent” and that it was “just a matter of time before he’s going to go.” Similarly, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) declared Democrats to be a “a party in chaos” and said Perez should be sacked. 64 65

When questioned by CNN’s Jake Tapper about these challenges to his position, Perez said he would not be resigning. 66

Additional Work

Perez’s post-Obama administration work also includes lecturing at his undergraduate alma mater, Brown University and joining the board of directors of the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. 67 68

References

  1. Sam Batkins, “Tom Perez’s record-breaking year of Labor Department regulation,” The Hill, January 12, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/labor/313870-tom-perezs-recordbreaking-year-of-labor-department-regulation
  2. Don Gonyea, “Labor Secretary Tom Perez running for DNC chair,” NPR, December 15, 2016. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2016/12/15/505734923/labor-secretary-tom-perez-running-for-dnc-chair
  3. Justin Miller, “The subtle force of Tom Perez,” The American Prospect, June 22, 2016. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://prospect.org/labor/subtle-force-tom-perez/
  4. Michael Sainato, “The DNC is debt ridden, unpopular and failing,” The Observer, July 10, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://observer.com/2017/07/democratic-national-committee-failing-unpopular-debt/
  5. Alex Seitz-Wald, “Shake-up at Democratic National Committee, longtime officials ousted,” NBC News, October 18, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/shakeup-democratic-national-committee-longtime-officials-ousted-n812126
  6. Ryan Cooper, “The treachery of Tom Perez,” The Week, August 15, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://theweek.com/articles/790183/treachery-tom-perez
  7.  Laura Barrón-López, Natasha Korecki, and Alex Thompson, “Iowa blowback scorches Tom Perez,” Politico, February 07, 2020. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/07/iowa-caucus-blowback-tom-perez-dnc-111795
  8. Chandelis Duster, “DNC chairman says he won’t step down after chaotic Iowa caucuses but expects review of state’s first-in-nation status,” CNN. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/09/politics/tom-perez-dnc-resignation-iowa-status-cnntv/index.html
  10. Person, and Brendan O’Brien. “Former DNC Chair Perez Announces Bid for Maryland Governor.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, June 23, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/former-dnc-chair-perez-announces-bid-maryland-governor-2021-06-23/

    Background

    Early Life

    Tom Perez is the youngest of five children. His father, a refugee and doctor who fled the Dominican Republic and became a U.S. Army physician, died from a heart attack when Perez was 12 years old. Perez’s grandfather was U.S. ambassador from the Dominican Republic, and was exiled for speaking out against that nation’s dictator. 9 Justin Miller, “The subtle force of Tom Perez,” The American Prospect, June 22, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://prospect.org/labor/subtle-force-tom-perez/

  11. Justin Miller, “The subtle force of Tom Perez,” The American Prospect, June 22, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://prospect.org/labor/subtle-force-tom-perez/
  12. NPR, “Not my job: We quiz the U.S. secretary of labor on going into labor,” January 23, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2016/01/23/463969820/not-my-job-we-quiz-the-u-s-secretary-of-labor-on-going-into-labor
  13. Justin Miller, “The subtle force of Tom Perez,” The American Prospect, June 22, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://prospect.org/labor/subtle-force-tom-perez/
  14. Sari Horwitz and Lena H. Sun, “Obama to nominate Thomas Perez as labor secretary,” The Washington Post, March 09, 2013. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-nominate-thomas-perez-as-next-labor-secretary/2013/03/09/8e34c546-88dd-11e2-999e-5f8e0410cb9d_story.html
  15. Justin Miller, “The subtle force of Tom Perez,” The American Prospect, June 22, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://prospect.org/labor/subtle-force-tom-perez/
  16. Justin Miller, “The subtle force of Tom Perez,” The American Prospect, June 22, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://prospect.org/labor/subtle-force-tom-perez/
  17. Obama White House, “Secretary Thomas E. Perez.” Accessed May 20, 2020. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/secretary-thomas-e-perez
  18. NPR, “New leader of Justice Department’s Civil Rights Dept. has hands full,” February 18, 2010. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/123851926?storyId=123851926
  19. [1] Adam Serwer, “Meet the Obama official investigating the Trayvon Martin shooting,” Mother Jones, March 23, 2012. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/tom-perez-justice-department-trayvon-martin/
  20. [1] Obama White House, “Secretary Thomas E. Perez.” Accessed May 20, 2020. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/secretary-thomas-e-perez
  21. NPR, “New leader of Justice Department’s Civil Rights Dept. has hands full,” February 18, 2010. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/123851926?storyId=123851926
  22. [1] Sari Horwitz and Lena H. Sun, “Obama to nominate Thomas Perez as labor secretary,” The Washington Post, March 09, 2013. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-nominate-thomas-perez-as-next-labor-secretary/2013/03/09/8e34c546-88dd-11e2-999e-5f8e0410cb9d_story.html
  23. Matthew Mosk, “FDA official calls Montgomery drug plan illegal,” The Washington Post, February 24, 2004. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2004/02/24/fda-official-calls-montgomery-drug-plan-illegal/2b471cc6-b89b-4f7f-9f58-5beba585c4f0/
  24. Kaiser Health News, “Maryland’s Montgomery County sues FDA to allow pilot prescription drug reimportation program,” June 11, 2009. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://khn.org/morning-breakout/dr00035615/
  25. [1] Sari Horwitz and Lena H. Sun, “Obama to nominate Thomas Perez as labor secretary,” The Washington Post, March 09, 2013. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-nominate-thomas-perez-as-next-labor-secretary/2013/03/09/8e34c546-88dd-11e2-999e-5f8e0410cb9d_story.html
  26. Andrew A. Green, “Perez’s loss looking like Gansler’s gain,” The Baltimore Sun, August 26, 2006. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2006-08-26-0608260200-story.html
  28. Person, and Brendan O’Brien. “Former DNC Chair Perez Announces Bid for Maryland Governor.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, June 23, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/former-dnc-chair-perez-announces-bid-maryland-governor-2021-06-23/

    Obama Administration: Department of Justice

    Perez made a significant impact as an appointee to two posts during the Obama administration: as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and later as U.S. Secretary of Labor. At DOJ, Perez engaged on a wide variety of issues, including human trafficking, housing, disability rights and opposition to state-level voter ID laws. 27 Obama White House, “Secretary Thomas E. Perez.” Accessed May 20, 2020. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/secretary-thomas-e-perez

  29. Nancy Averett, “DNC candidate profile: Secretary of Labor Tom Perez,” Together We Will, January 30, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. http://twwusa.org/1330/dnc-tom-perez/
  30. The United States Department of Justice, “The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.” Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/crt/matthew-shepard-and-james-byrd-jr-hate-crimes-prevention-act-2009-0
  31. CNN, “Obama signs hate crimes bill into law,” October 28, 2009. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/28/hate.crimes/
  32. United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan Northern Division, Gary Glenn, Levon Yuille, Rene Ouellette, James Combs v. Eric H. Holder, Jr. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2010/12/14/holder_dismissal.pdf
  33. Julie Bindel, “The truth behind America’s most famous gay-hate murder,” The Guardian, October 26, 2014. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/26/the-truth-behind-americas-most-famous-gay-hate-murder-matthew-shepard
  34. The United States Department of Justice, “Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee,” April 20, 2010. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/assistant-attorney-general-civil-rights-division-thomas-e-perez-testifies-senate
  35. The United States Department of Justice, “Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez speaks on the Fair Lending Settlement with SunTrust Mortgage Inc.,” May 31, 2012. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/assistant-attorney-general-civil-rights-division-thomas-e-perez-speaks-fair-lending
  36. The United States Department of Justice, “United States v. Maricopa County, et al. and Melendres v. Arpaio.” Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/crt/case/united-states-v-maricopa-county-et-al-and-melendres-v-arpaio
  37. Kevin Liptak, Daniella Diaz, and Sophie Tatum, “Trump pardons former Sheriff Joe Arpaio,” CNN, August 27, 2017. Accessed May 20, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/25/politics/sheriff-joe-arpaio-donald-trump-pardon/index.html
  38. Adam Serwer, “Meet the Obama official investigating the Trayvon Martin shooting,” Mother Jones, March 23, 2012. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/tom-perez-justice-department-trayvon-martin/
  39. The United States Department of Justice, “Federal officials close investigation into death of Trayvon Martin,” February 24, 2015. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-officials-close-investigation-death-trayvon-martin
  40. Suzy Khimm, “Five things you should know about Tom Perez, Obama’s pick for labor secretary,” The Washington Post, March 11, 2013. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/03/11/five-things-you-should-know-about-tom-perez-obamas-pick-for-labor-secretary/
  41. Carole Fader, “Fact check: Reports of voter ‘intimidation’ appear exaggerated,” The Florida Times-Union, July 29, 2010. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.jacksonville.com/article/20100729/NEWS/801247696
  42. [1] Rebecca Shabad, “Who Is Tom Perez?,” CBS News. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-is-tom-perez-dnc-chairman/
  43. Don Gonyea, “Labor Secretary Tom Perez running for DNC chair,” NPR, December 15, 2016. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2016/12/15/505734923/labor-secretary-tom-perez-running-for-dnc-chair
  44. Justin Miller, “The subtle force of Tom Perez,” The American Prospect, June 22, 2016. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://prospect.org/labor/subtle-force-tom-perez/
  45. Sam Batkins, “Tom Perez’s record-breaking year of Labor Department regulation,” The Hill, January 12, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/labor/313870-tom-perezs-recordbreaking-year-of-labor-department-regulation
  46. U.S. Department of Labor, “Statement of US Labor Secretary Perez on legal challenge to department’s efforts to ensure best interest retirement advice.” Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/opa/opa20160602
  47. Alessandra Malito, “The fiduciary rule is officially dead: What its fate means to you,” MarketWatch,  June 25, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-the-fiduciary-rule-dead-or-alive-what-its-fate-means-to-you-2018-03-16
  48. Patrick Svitek, “Texas sues Obama Administration over new overtime rule,” The Texas Tribune, September 20, 2016. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.texastribune.org/2016/09/20/texas-sues-obama-administration-over-new-overtime-/
  49. Allen Smith, “2016 overtime rule on permanent pause after 5th circuit halts litigation,” Society for Human Resource Management, November 09, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/overtime-rule-stay-granted.aspx
  50. Marianne Levine, “Perez: Overtime proposal equals $1.2 billion raise,” Politico, June 30, 2015. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/tom-perez-obama-overtime-proposal-119588
  51. [1] Jerry Rogers, “Trump DOL should not prosecute Obama’s lame duck lawsuits,” RealClearPolicy, December 10, 2019. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2019/12/10/trump_dol_should_not_prosecute_obamas_lame_duck_lawsuits_111330.html
  52. Gregory D. Rohrbough, “How Trump can help both Google and conservatives,” CNSNews.com, February 14, 2020. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://cnsnews.com/commentary/gregory-d-rohrbough/how-trump-can-help-both-google-and-conservatives
  53. [1] Tanya Somanader, “Secretary Perez answers questions on what the president’s trade deal will mean for workers,” Obama White House, April 20, 2015. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/04/20/secretary-perez-answers-questions-what-president-s-trade-deal-will-mean-workers
  54. Gabriel Debenedetti, “Labor Secretary Tom Perez endorses Hillary Clinton,” Politico, December 03, 2015. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/tom-perez-endorses-hillary-clinton-216381
  55. Jana Kasperkevic, “‘Tom Perez has guts’: US labor secretary being eyed as Clinton’s running mate,” The Guardian, May 21, 2016. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/21/tom-perez-labor-secretary-hillary-clinton
  56. [1] Trey Kovacs, “New DNC Chair Tom Perez has record of executive overreach,” Washington Examiner, February 28, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/new-dnc-chair-tom-perez-has-record-of-executive-overreach
  57. Alex Seitz-Wald, “Shake-up at Democratic National Committee, longtime officials ousted,” NBC News, October 18, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/shakeup-democratic-national-committee-longtime-officials-ousted-n812126
  58. Michael Sainato, “The DNC is debt ridden, unpopular and failing,” The Observer, July 10, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://observer.com/2017/07/democratic-national-committee-failing-unpopular-debt/
  59. Ryan Cooper, “The treachery of Tom Perez,” The Week, August 15, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://theweek.com/articles/790183/treachery-tom-perez
  60. “Ryan Cooper.” The Nation. Accessed June 4, 2020. https://www.thenation.com/authors/ryan-cooper/
  61. Ryan Cooper, “The treachery of Tom Perez,” The Week, August 15, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://theweek.com/articles/790183/treachery-tom-perez
  62. Ilma Hasan, “RNC maintains massive fundraising edge over DNC,” Center for Responsive Politics, April 21, 2020. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/04/rnc-maintains-massive-fundraising-edge-over-dnc/
  63. Chandelis Duster, “DNC chairman says he won’t step down after chaotic Iowa caucuses but expects review of state’s first-in-nation status,” CNN. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/09/politics/tom-perez-dnc-resignation-iowa-status-cnntv/index.html
  64. Laura Barrón-López, Natasha Korecki, and Alex Thompson, “Iowa blowback scorches Tom Perez,” Politico, February 07, 2020. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/07/iowa-caucus-blowback-tom-perez-dnc-111795
  65. Chandelis Duster, “DNC chairman says he won’t step down after chaotic Iowa caucuses but expects review of state’s first-in-nation status,” CNN. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/09/politics/tom-perez-dnc-resignation-iowa-status-cnntv/index.html
  66. Chandelis Duster, “DNC chairman says he won’t step down after chaotic Iowa caucuses but expects review of state’s first-in-nation status,” CNN. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/09/politics/tom-perez-dnc-resignation-iowa-status-cnntv/index.html
  67. Stephen Ide, “Tom Perez, former U.S. labor secretary, to teach at Brown,” Providence Journal, September 06, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20170906/tom-perez-former-us-labor-secretary-to-teach-at-brown
  68. Economic Policy Institute, “Former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez joins EPI’s Board of Directors,” May 15, 2017. Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.epi.org/press/former-secretary-of-labor-tom-perez-joins-epis-board-of-directors/

Connected Organizations

  1. Democracy Alliance Conferences (Other Group)
    Participant, Spring 2018; Fall 2019
  2. Democratic National Committee (DNC) (Political Party/527)
    Chair (2016-2020)
  3. Department of Justice (Government Agency)
    Former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, 2009-2013
  4. Department of Labor (Government Agency)
    Former U.S. Secretary of Labor, 2013-2017
  5. Economic Policy Institute (EPI) (Non-profit)
    Board Member
  6. Obama Administration (Government Agency)
    Secretary of Labor (2013-2017)
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