The Senate Health, Education Labor and Pension Committee on Thursday is expected to advance the nomination of R. Alexander Acosta, President Trump’s pick to head the Labor Department.
“To accommodate senators’ schedules, the committee will vote on Mr. Acosta’s nomination tomorrow,” said a committee source who requested anonymity. “The exact vote timing is subject to the Senate schedule, but most likely following the morning [Senate floor] vote.”
Acosta served as assistant attorney general for civil rights during President George W. Bush’s administration. He was also the U.S. attorney for the southern district of Florida and served as a member of the National Labor Relations Board, the main federal labor law enforcement agency, from 2002 to 2003. He is currently dean of Florida International University Law School.
The nomination has been praised by Republicans and received muted criticism from Democrats. During a Senate hearing last week, several Democrats were left frustrated when Acosta declined to answer questions about whether he would uphold various Obama rulemakings and regulations. That is expected to lead to a party-line vote, the source said.
Acosta nevertheless has the support of some major unions, rare for a Republican appointee. The International Union of Operating Engineers, the Laborers’ International Union of North America and the International Association of Fire Fighters have all endorsed him. LIUNA’s Terry O’Sullivan praised Acosta’s “fairness and respect for justice.”
