Elizabeth Warren gloats over Puzder’s withdrawal as labor secretary; Trump names replacement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Fast food tycoon Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination for labor secretary this week, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren couldn’t conceal her glee at the development.

In a statement released Thursday, Warren said:

Most of the time I get a news alert, I’m afraid to look at my phone.

But yesterday we got some good news. Really good news, in fact. Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor – Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s CEO Andrew Puzder – withdrew his nomination for Secretary of Labor.

Mr. Puzder has made his fortune squeezing his workers – the very same workers he would have been charged with protecting at the Department of Labor. His burger company has an appalling record of labor law abuse and the most discrimination lawsuits of any major burger chain – the same labor laws he’d be in charge of enforcing at the Department of Labor.

In short: Donald Trump was going to put a person in charge of the Department of Labor who has total contempt for American workers.

All across the country, workers got the word out about Mr. Puzder’s business record. Labor unions held rallies and protests in front of his restaurants. We shared the stories of brave Carl’s Jr workers who came forward and spoke about how they had been victims of wage theft and unfair scheduling. We made sure the press paid attention, and even Republican Senators couldn’t look away. Thanks to grassroots organizing, we turned up the heat so much that Mr. Puzder had to get out of the kitchen.

I’ll be honest: We can’t stop most of Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees. We just don’t have the votes – and most of the Republicans seem to have no problem rubber-stamping a team of billionaires and bankers.

But yesterday proved: When we get out there and fight, we can make a real difference. And today, the world is a little better place without Andrew Puzder as Secretary of Labor.

This is why we fight. We can do this.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced that he was nominating R. Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor:

Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate R. Alexander Acosta for the position of Secretary of Labor. Mr. Acosta is currently Dean of Florida International University Law School.

Mr. Acosta has had a long and distinguished career in public service. He has served in three Presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed positions, including as a member of the National Labor Relations Board. Mr. Acosta was the first Hispanic to hold the rank of Assistant Attorney General and went on to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Since 2013, Mr. Acosta has also served as Chairman of U.S. Century Bank, the largest domestically owned Hispanic community bank in Florida.

“Throughout his career, Alex Acosta has been a passionate advocate for equal opportunity for all Americans,” said President Trump. “His extensive experience has tremendously impressed me and my team and makes us confident that he will lead the Department of Labor with the utmost competence and determination to support the American worker. The American worker had been forgotten and left behind. That ended when I became President on January 20. Alex is going to be a key part of achieving our goal of revitalizing the American economy, manufacturing, and labor force. I call on the Senate to swiftly confirm this highly qualified and deserving leader so that he can get straight to work for the betterment of the American people.”

“I am deeply grateful and honored for the opportunity to serve my country,” Mr. Acosta said. “I thank the President and his staff for their confidence in me and I am eager to work tirelessly on behalf of the American worker.”