The Final State of the Union
Late last night, the Senate voted to confirm John Bryson to head the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Mr. Bryson is a man with a wealth of experience in both the public and private sectors. For nearly two decades, he was the CEO of Edison International, a California-based energy company. He has served on the boards of some of America's leading companies, including Disney and Boeing. And as a young man, straight out of law school, he helped to found the Natural Resources Defense Council.
President Obama released the following statement:
As Secretary of Commerce, John Bryson will be a key member of my economic team, working with the business community to promote job creation, foster growth, and help open up new markets around the world for American-made goods. At such a critical time for our economy, I nominated John because I believe his decades of experience both in the public and private sector have given him a clear understanding of what it takes to put America on a stronger economic footing and create jobs. I’m confident he will help us do that, and I look forward to working closely with him in the months and years ahead.
Mr. Bryson takes over for Gary Locke -- the current ambassador to China.