The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee yesterday approved Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor. Acosta was approved by a 12-11 vote along party lines in favor of Acosta. That approval means that Acosta’s nomination must now be voted on by the full Senate. No date has yet been set for that vote.
If confirmed in a full Senate vote, Acosta. who is a Cuban American, will be the only Hispanic in Trump’s Cabinet. Acosta, has served as a law school dean at Florida International University in Miami since 2009. Acosta was a member of the National Labor Relations Board from 2002 to 2003. He then served as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division under former President George W. Bush from 2003 to 2005.
Acosta was the first Latino to serve as an assistant attorney general. He left that job to become U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, a position he held until 2009. All three jobs required Senate confirmation.
Acosta was Trump’s second choice for Labor Secretary. Trump tapped Acosta on February 16 after the withdrawal of the initial nominee, Southern California fast-food executive Andy Puzder. Puzder, the chief executive of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s parent company, CKE Restaurants Inc., withdrew a day before his Senate confirmation hearing after a series of controversies led to waning support from Republican Senators.
The Labor secretary is one of two Cabinet department head positions yet to be filled. The other is Secretary of Agriculture, whose nominee, Senator Sonny Perdue (R-GA), was confirmed Thursday by the Senate Agriculture committee. In addition, Robert Lighthizer has yet to be confirmed for the Cabinet-level position of U.S. Trade Representative.
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