U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
By David Jackson, USA TODAY
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will not be returning for a second term, President Obama said Wednesday.
"Over
the last four years, Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my
economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic
downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the
middle class," Obama said.
Meanwhile, White House officials said
three other Cabinet members will remain after the president's next term
starts Jan. 20: Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric
Shinseki.
In disclosing her resignation to Labor Department
employees, Solis trumpeted their work on job training and community
college programs. She also cited programs devoted to veterans
employment, worker safety, and reclaiming lost wages.
"Because
President Obama took very bold action, millions of Americans are back to
work," said Solis, a former member of Congress from California. "There
is still much to do, but we are well on the road to recovery, and middle
class Americans know the president is on their side."
Obama did not announce a replacement.
Solis is the fifth Cabinet-level to announce his or her resignation prior to the start of Obama's second term on Jan. 20.
Secretary
of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta,
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and Environmental Protection Agency
administration Lisa Jackson have also announced their departures.
The
president has nominated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to replace Clinton at
State and former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., to replace Panetta
at the Pentagon. He is expected to tap White House Chief of Staff Jack
Lew to succeed Geithner at Treasury, and has not nominated a new EPA
administrator.
Other Cabinet members are expected to stay for a second term.