Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont says he can picture a labor secretary who’s frequently on the road engaging with the public as he drops hints that he wouldn’t necessarily turn down the job if President-elect Joseph R. Biden offers it to him.
“Imagine having a secretary of labor who didn’t spend all of his time or her time in Washington, D.C.,” Mr. Sanders told former 2020 Democratic primary rival Julián Castro on an episode of Mr. Castro’s podcast that was released Thursday.
Mr. Sanders suggested going to San Antonio or Dallas and asking people what it’s like to live on a $9-an-hour wage.
“So it’s not sitting in Washington coming up with complicated ideas — it’s going out to people and making them aware that the United States government is listening to them,” Mr. Sanders said. “That’s what interests me.”
Mr. Sanders has said Mr. Biden is falling short on tapping liberal voices to be in his Cabinet thus far, though it could be a long shot that the president-elect would pick Mr. Sanders himself to reverse that trend.
Other names in the mix for Mr. Biden’s possible labor secretary pick include Julie Su, secretary for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan, a former AFL-CIO organizer, and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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