Seema Nanda (government official)

Seema Nanda is an American government official currently serving as the United States solicitor of labor in the Biden administration.[1]

Seema Nanda
United States Solicitor of Labor
Assumed office
July 14, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
SecretaryMarty Walsh
Preceded byKate S. O'Scannlain
United States Deputy Solicitor of Labor
In office
March 2016 – July 2016
PresidentBarack Obama
SecretaryTom Perez
SolicitorM. Patricia Smith
Personal details
BornChicago, IL
Education

Early life and education

Seema Nanda was born in Chicago after her parents immigrated to the United States in the early 1970s.[2] Her parents are from Punjab but grew up in Uttar Pradesh; both came to the US and worked as dentists.[2] Nanda grew up in West Simsbury, Connecticut[3] and attended the Westminster School.

Nanda received an A.B. from Brown University in 1992 and a J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1995.[4][5]

Career

From 2007 to 2010, Nanda worked as a supervisor attorney at the National Labor Relations Board.[6][7] She served as a senior trial attorney from 2010 to 2011 and acting deputy special counsel from 2011 to 2013 at the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

Nanda joined the Department of Labor in 2013, serving as chief of staff and deputy chief of staff to Secretary of Labor Tom Perez.[8][9]

In July 2018, Nanda became CEO of the Democratic National Committee.[8] She served in the position until May 2020.[10]

Solicitor of Labor nomination

Nanda was nominated to become the United States Solicitor of Labor by President Joe Biden on March 26, 2021.[11][4] The Senate HELP Committee held hearings on her nomination on April 29, 2021. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on May 12, 2021.[12] The entire Senate confirmed Nanda on July 14, 2021, by a vote of 53-46.[13][8]

Tenure

On November 6, 2021, it was reported that Nanda defended President Biden's attempt to enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate against US workers at businesses with over 100 employees after a federal judge blocked it on the grounds that the plaintiffs' challenge against the mandate raised “grave statutory and constitutional issues.” Nanda asserted that her Department of Labor was “confident in its legal authority” to issue the rule; that Federal law “explicitly gives OSHA the authority to act quickly in an emergency where the agency finds that workers are subjected to a grave danger and a new standard is necessary to protect them"; and that [her US Department of Labor is] "fully prepared to defend this standard in court.”[14]

References
  1. "About the Solicitor | U.S. Department of Labor". www.dol.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  2. Haniffa, Aziz. "Seema Nanda hits ground running at DNC, focusing on turning red to blue". IndiaAbroad.com. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  3. "Indian-American lawyer Seema Nanda to step down as CEO of Democratic party". Hindustan Times. 2020-04-25. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  4. "Biden taps Seema Nanda as Solicitor of Department of Labor". The American Bazaar. March 29, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  5. "Seema Nanda '95 Named CEO of DNC | Boston College Law School Magazine". Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  6. "US Senate confirms Indian-American Seema Nanda as solicitor for labour dept". Business Standard India. July 16, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  7. Wiessner, Daniel (2021-07-14). "Senate confirms solicitor of labor, approves EEOC member for new term". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  8. Papscun, Dan (July 14, 2021). "Seema Nanda Confirmed to Labor Department's Top Legal Post". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
  9. Murray, Stephanie (29 June 2018). "DNC taps former Perez chief of staff for CEO". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  10. "Indian-American lawyer Seema Nanda to step down as CEO of Democratic Party". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  11. "President Biden Announces his Intent to Nominate Key Members for the Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Appalachian Regional Commission". The White House. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  12. "PN269 — Seema Nanda — Department of Labor 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  13. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Seema Nanda, of Virginia, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor)". US Senate. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  14. "Federal court temporarily blocks Biden's vaccine mandate for larger businesses". The Guardian (UK). Guardian News & Media Limited. Associated Press. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
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