Labor Nominee Acosta’s Record Exposed: Scandal, Mismanagement, Callous Disregard for Concerns of Hard-Working Americans
Statement on Confirmation Hearing of Trump’s Second Labor Nominee, Alex Acosta
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Allied Progress released the following statement concerning the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s second Labor Secretary nominee, Alex Acosta:
“President Trump has once again failed workers and all those who voted for him with his second deeply unqualified pick for Labor Secretary. Alex Acosta’s infamous mismanagement at the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division may help him fit in with the cast of incompetent cronies in Trump’s cabinet, but it should disqualify him from ever again holding a post in the federal government,” said Karl Frisch, executive director of Allied Progress.
He continued, “Today Mr. Acosta’s record was exposed as one riddled with scandal, mismanagement, and a callous disregard for the concerns of American workers. It is as if the Trump administration failed to learn its lesson from Mr. Puzder’s disastrous nomination. The American people deserve and demand a Secretary of Labor who will stand up for workers by fighting for fair wages, workplace safety, and basic rights. Mr. Acosta has done nothing to indicate he is up to this challenge, and we urge all senators to vote against his nomination.”
In December, Allied Progress launched Trump Transparency Project, an initiative aimed at holding the incoming administration accountable for its economic appointments and policies that betray America’s middle class. You can read the project’s 49-page profile on Acosta here.
BACKGROUND:
As a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), assistant attorney general overseeing the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acosta’s record has been marked by scandal and incompetence. On the NLRB, he routinely sided with businesses, even voting to make it easier for employers to fire striking workers or threaten those seeking to unionize. When he was assistant attorney general overseeing the Civil Rights Division, an independent inspector general found that partisanship and ideology had been introduced into hiring and that Acosta did not take sufficient action once made aware of these practices. His mismanagement of the division led to the departure of many experienced, career civil rights lawyers. As U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acosta went soft on a billionaire in a high-profile sex case involving “underage girls.” He also oversaw the bungled prosecutions of several individuals accused of terrorist activities. Acosta is a political activist with deep ties to conservative movement legal organizations. He has assisted Republicans political campaigns and attended elite conservative political gatherings.
Allied Progress played a leading role in opposing the confirmation of President Trump’s first nominee for Labor Secretary, fast food CEO Andy Puzder. Facing tough scrutiny, Puzder ultimately withdrew his nomination and just yesterday announced his resignation as CEO of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s.
To speak with Karl Frisch about Acosta’s nomination, please contact Charlie DiPasquale at 202-464-6916 or cdipasquale@skdknick.com.
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Allied Progress is a nationwide, progressive advocacy organization that uses hard-hitting research and creative campaigns to hold Wall Street and powerful special interests accountable. Since launching in 2015, the organization has led high-profile campaigns on several issues including reforming the payday lending industry and exposing the those working to cripple the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).