President Trump’s new nominee to serve as Secretary of Labor is Alexander Acosta, who currently serves as the dean of the Florida International University Law School. Trump announced the nomination at a Feb. 16 press conference.
Acosta has been at FIU since 2009. He has also been:
- a member of the National Labor Relations Board (2002-2003);
- Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division (2003-2005);
- the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida (2005-2009) and a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3d Circuit; and
- chairman of U.S. Century Bank since 2013.
The 48-year-old Acosta is no stranger to the Senate confirmation process, having been approved by the Senate three times. The son of Cuban immigrants, he received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Acosta practiced law at the firm of Kirkland & Ellis.
Acosta’s nomination came on Feb. 16, one day after Andrew Puzder withdrew his name from consideration for the top job at the Department of Labor.
