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President Trump Announces New Pick For Labor Secretary


That did not take long, did it?  Less than twenty four hours after Andy Puzder withdrew as President Donald Trump's nominee for Labor Secretary, President Trump announced earlier today that he has chosen Alexander Acosta as his new nominee for the position.

For those unfamiliar with Acosta, he brings a great deal of experience to the table.  He is currently the Dean of the Florida International University College of Law.  However, he has also served as a law clerk to Judge Sam Alito (currently a member of the United States Supreme Court) back when Judge Alito was on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals (1994 - 1995), as a member of the National Labor Relations Board (2002 - 2003), and as an Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division under President George W. Bush (2003).

For those looking for a nominee with a 'pro-employer' track record such as Puzder, this pick might be a bit of a disappointment.  On the other hand, for those looking for a nominee with a 'pro-employee' track record such as Tom Perez (President Obama's last Labor Secretary), this pick might be a bit of a disappointment.  With that being said, I would certainly expect Acosta to make decisions and take actions that are more employer friendly, given President Trump's apparent tendency to favor employers.  As well, President Trump might have wanted a nominee that was a 'safer' option and that could clear the Senate without too much of a fight (or at least less controversy and partisanship than other nominees over the past few weeks).

At this point, Acosta will be required to submit responsive documents and answer questionnaires before he has his confirmation hearing.  I would expect this nomination to likely move quicker than it took to get Puzder's confirmation process going.  Given that we are almost a month into the new administration and still have an acting Labor Secretary in place, I would think Republicans and President Trump are eager to get Acosta confirmed so that they can start implementing their policies.


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