Dive Brief:
- President-elect Donald Trump has named Andrew Puzder as his nominee to lead the United States Department of Labor (DOL), multiple sources reported.
- Puzder, who was among Trump's top choices for the job, currently serves as CEO of CKE Restaurants Holding Co., the parent of fast food restaurants Carl's Jr. and Hardee's.
- The Wall Street Journal reports that Puzder opposed minimum wage increases above $9 per hour, and has been critical of the Affordable Care Act.
Dive Insight:
Puzder was widely considered to be one of the most pro-business potential candidates for the position, and a stark contrast to current DOL secretary Tom Perez.
Puzder distinguished himself by raising funds for the Trump campaign and being a steadfast cheerleader. He tweeted on Nov. 7: "If Trump wins the WH, he'll be in your corner not on the side of big corporate interests & globalist companies."
His views on the Affordable Care Act and raising the federal minimum wage typically line up with Republican stances, as he rejects regulation that interferes with business decisions. He was recently taken to task for seeming to prefer robots over humans for certain job positions.
This pick reflects Trump's willingness to put members of the business community in government positions over potential candidates with more government experience. Victoria Lipnic, a former EEOC commissioner, and Lou Barletta, a Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, had also been considered contenders.
