President Donald Trump has nominated Florida International Law School Dean R. Alexander Acosta to the Secretary of Labor, a position that was originally meant for fast food CEO Andy Puzder. Puzder withdrew his nomination amid scandal and blowback from both sides of the aisle.
There were questions about the legitimacy of Puzder’s business history along with concerns over the employment of an undocumented housekeeper. The reasons for his divorce in 1988 combined multiple allegations of labor rights violations over the course of his career was enough to kill his short political tenure.
“Puzder personally choosing to withdraw his nomination seems to be more a move to save the administration the embarrassment of failing to receive the support of most Senate Republicans,” said Gerald Frass, chairman of UA College Republicans. “Puzder’s withdrawal is due to a thorough investigation into his personal affairs, which showed him to be an appointment worthy of concern.”
Trump’s new nominee for Labor Secretary has been one of his most widely accepted picks yet. Alexander Acosta, a Hispanic law school dean with experience as an attorney on the state and federal level, has largely received bipartisan support to replace Puzder. Acosta has also served on the National Labor Relations Board, giving him direct qualifications for the department he would be running.
In an administration that has faced criticism for lack of diversity in its cabinet, the nomination of what would be the first Hispanic member in Trump’s White House.
“Acosta is a rather reasonable and established candidate for Labor Secretary, one that fits his position well, especially considering Trump’s tendency to nominate unqualified cabinet members,” said Michael Smith, director of External Affairs for UA College Democrats. “Andy Puzder is a long time enemy of labor rights and has no experience running a bureaucratic department.”
Puzder received public backlash from the moment his nomination was announced. He received much of the same criticism that Besty DeVos and Rick Perry received, where they have been accused of wanting to diminish the departments they have been hired to run.
Acosta, however, has not been immune to opposition either. After it was announced who the new nominee would be, Democratic super-PACs went to work to block him. Although he has experience on the NLRB and a great track record of defending civil rights as an attorney for the southern district of Florida, concerns have risen over his defense of a controversial law in Ohio surrounding the potential disenfranchisement of certain minorities.
