This week, Labor Secretary Nominee Andrew Puzder withdrew his name from consideration, topping a chaotic first month for the Trump Administration. Puzder, the CEO of fast food chains Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., had been a controversial pick to head the Department of Labor since he was tapped by the president last December. His confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which was scheduled to take place just hours after he announced his withdrawal, had been postponed multiple times because the complexity of his personal finances made it difficult for government ethics officials to identify possible conflicts of interest. Concerns about his past opposition to increasing the federal minimum wage and expand worker protections through regulations, as well as allegations of domestic abuse and the recent revelation that a former member of his household staff was not legally allowed to work in the country, ultimately cost him the support of both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. Puzder’s departure comes just a week after Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was narrowly confirmed by the Senate, marking the first time in history that the vice president has had to cast a tie-breaking vote for a cabinet nominee.
The White House announced on Thursday that Alexander Acosta, dean of Florida International University's law program and a former National Labor Relations Board member, will take Puzder’s place as nominee for secretary. The Department of Labor is 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.
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