Washington’s U.S. House Republicans Decry LeVine Appointment in Joint Statement

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All three of Washington’s Republican House members lambasted the recent appointment of Suzi Levine to President Joe Biden’s administration. As the head of Washington’s Employment Security Department (ESD), Levine came under fire last year not only for the slow dispersal of benefits during the economic fallout of the pandemic, but also for a $600 million fraud scheme that targeted the ESD under her watch. 

In their letter to Biden, Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers critiqued LeVine’s “dismal track record” and “gross mismanagement of state taxpayer dollars,” arguing against her appointment to interim assistant secretary of the Employment and Training Administration under the U.S. Department of Labor. 

“Her mistakes that led to the largest fraud in Washington state history were matched by the poor service that defined her tenure,” they wrote. 



The lawmakers described thousands of calls coming into their offices from constituents who had difficulty accessing unemployment benefits. LeVine also received criticism from the state auditor’s office last year, which alleged that she attempted to hinder an investigation into the fraud incident.

“With thousands of our constituents affected by the ineffectiveness of Ms. Levine’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are deeply concerned that her appointment will have a negative impact on the millions of people who rely on the services of the Employment and Training Administration,” they continued. “We urge you to reconsider this appointment.”