It was recently announced that Andrew Puzder is the president-elect’s choice to run the U.S. Department of Labor in the new Administration. Like education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, Puzder’s background is in the private sector, he is the current CEO of the parent company for the fast food chains Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr, and this will be his first time holding public office. As secretary of labor, Puzder would be responsible for overseeing many federal employment and training initiatives, including most programs authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Registered Apprenticeship system and Job Corps among others.
While his company reportedly provides some benefits for job and career education and training to certain employees, he has also been a proponent for the increased use of automation in business to reduce labor costs. A critic of the Affordable Care Act, increasing the federal minimum wage and expanding worker protections through regulations, it’s likely that Puzder will focus his efforts on rolling back federal labor rules, and not on workforce training issues. In any case, he will appear in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for a confirmation hearing (the date for this hearing has not been announced) before his nomination is voted on by the full Senate. Follow us on the CTE Policy Watch Blog for more transition updates.
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