More trouble for Trump as his choice for Labor Secretary withdraws as nominee

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President Donald J. Trump's choice for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, has withdrawn his nomination one day before his Senate-delayed confirmation hearing. Puzder, the chairman of CKE Restaurants (the parent company of Hardees and Carl's Jr. fast food chains), has had lukewarm support in the Republican-controlled Congress due to worker complaints, his plan to use robots to replace human employees in some restaurants, and his own issues with hiring undocumented immigrants in his home.

Trump announced Puzder's nomination on December 8, 2016, but the 66-year-old former lawyer and businessman has been criticized for abusing workers, resisting calls to raise the minimum wage, and being a champion for dismantling of federal regulations. 

According to CNN, "Puzder's confirmation hearing (in the Senate) was pushed back four times. It was finally scheduled for Thursday, but on Wednesday he withdrew his nomination."

On his Twitter feed, Puzder wrote:

I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor. I'm honored to have been considered and am grateful to all who have supported me. 

According to the New York Times, Puzder's nomination ran into opposition from both the Democrats in the Senate and conservative editors such as those in Breitbart News and The National Review. 

In addition to Puzder's track record "of mistreating his workers, opposing the minimum wage and supporting automation in the workplace," Democratic Senators were appalled by allegations that Puzder had physically abused his first wife.

Per the Times, "Senators were privately shown a videotape of Mr. Puzder’s wife appearing incognito on Oprah Winfrey’s television show and detailing her claims of abuse, which she later recanted."

Conservatives expressed reservations about Puzder's hiring of an undocumented immigrant to work as a housekeeper, as well as not paying her taxes. 

Puzder is known for his staunchly conservative views on abortion. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was one of the most prominent attorneys who oppose legalized abortion in the state of Missouri. His work in this area resulted in the controversial Missouri House Bill 1596, which defines life as beginning at the moment of conception.


Andrew Puzder is also known for defending the risque ads for the Carl Jr, burger restaurant chain. Critics of these commercials claim that they are too bawdy and demean women.

Per CNN, "I don't think there's anything wrong with a beautiful woman in a bikini, eating a burger and washing a Bentley or a pickup truck or being in a hot tub," Puzder told CNNMoney in 2015. "I think there's probably nothing more American."

Before he was nominated for the Labor post last December, Puzder helped raise money for the Trump election campaign. He and his second wife, Deanna, donated $332,000 to the campaign.



Sources: 

http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/08/news/puzder-confirmation-issues/index.html
https://twitter.com/AndyPuzder/status/831973151730958336
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/us/politics/andrew-puzder-withdrew-labor-secretary.html





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