U.S. Senate approves Bryson as commerce secretary

The U.S. Senate Thursday confirmed seasoned businessman John Bryson as U.S. Commerce Secretary, one week after the Democratic and Republican lawmakers approved free trade agreements with Republic of Korea, Colombia and Panama.

File photo shows the nominee for U.S. Secretary of the Department of Commerce John Bryson attends a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at the Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, June 21, 2011. (Xinhua File Photo)

U.S. President Barack Obama in May nominated John Bryson as the next secretary of commerce, replacing Gary Locke, the current U.S. ambassador to China. His confirmation was delayed partly because some conservative Republicans objected the nomination, as they branded Bryson as an environmentalist.
Bryson is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Edison International, a California-based public utility company, from 1990 to 2008. He also serves on several leading U.S. corporate boards, including The Boeing Company, The Walt Disney Company and among others.
"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," Obama said in a statement after the Senate confirmation.
"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," Obama added.
VietNamNet/Xinhuanet