WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday announced law school dean R. Alexander Acosta as his new labor secretary nominee, one day after his original pick abruptly withdrew from consideration. Trump’s Cabinet nominees have faced unprecedented opposition in the Senate, but until now, they had all managed to get through. President Trump’s choice to run the Labor Department, fast food CEO Andy Puzder, withdrew his nomination on Wednesday after it became clear that the Senate was unlikely to confirm him for the job. Two administration officials told Fox News late Wednesday that potential nominees include former National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) members Peter Kirsanow and Alexander Acosta, former South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Director Catherine Templeton and Joseph Guzman, an assistant professor of labor relations at Michigan State University who advised Trump during his presidential campaign. First, Puzder revealed last week that he had once employed an undocumented housekeeper — more or less the same “nanny problem” that has felled previous nominees, including Zoe Baird (Bill Clinton’s first nominee for attorney general) and Linda Chavez (George W. Bush’s nominee for labor secretary). Earlier Wednesday, fast-food executive Andrew Puzder abandoned his confirmation effort after Senate Republicans balked at supporting him, in part over taxes he belatedly paid on a former housekeeper not authorized to work in the United States. With regard to Puzder, Republicans grumbled about the stream of "distractions," including the torrent of criticism about his personal life and record as CEO of CKE Restaurants, Inc.

What ultimately drained Puzder of enough Republican support for confirmation was his acknowledgment — well after Trump had become president — of employing a housekeeper who was not authorized to work in the U.S.

Puzder said he had fired the employee about five years ago. Andy Puzder, President Donald Trump's nominee for labor secretary, withdrew his nomination on Wednesday amid growing questions about his business record and past personal issues, which drew scrutiny from senators on both sides of the aisle. Democrats and their allies welcomed Puzder's withdrawal, saying his corporate background and opposition to such proposals as a big hike in the minimum wage made him an unfit advocate for American workers at the top of an agency charged with enforcing protections. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Georgia, said, "I'm going to the hearing tomorrow and I'll make my decision then." Puzder, the head of CKE Restaurants, which owns Hardee's and Carl's Jr., came under harsh criticism from Democrats and liberal groups for his opposition to raising the minimum wage, previous controversial comments and the racy ads his properties have used to promote the fast-food chains.
U.S. President Donald Trump names Florida International University College of Law Dean and former National Labor Relations Board member Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor. The President's initial nominee, Andy Puzder, withdrew his nomination yesterday.