Hilda Solis

After weeks of delay caused by concerns over her pro-labor background and her husband’s taxes, the U.S. Senate has finally confirmed Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor. She will manage an agency with an annual budget of about $53 billion and nearly 17,000 employees, according to the Associated Press.

Solis, who had been serving in the U.S. House as a Democratic representative from California, is considered a supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act, federal legislation that would make it easier for workers to organize and that is strongly opposed by many in the business sector.

Following the confirmation, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said in a statement:

“The confirmation of Rep. Hilda Solis is a huge victory: finally Americans will have a Secretary of Labor who represents working people, not wealthy CEO’s. It is also a historic moment as Rep. Solis becomes the first Hispanic Secretary of Labor.”