Alexander Acosta

Last updated

Alexander Acosta
Alexander Acosta official portrait.jpg
Official portrait, 2017
27th United States Secretary of Labor
In office
April 28, 2017 –July 19, 2019

Nomination and confirmation

Acosta meeting with apprentice program participants as the secretary of labor. Alexander Acosta meets with Apprentices from Mercuria Energy L-17-06-14-A-026 (35305689955).jpg
Acosta meeting with apprentice program participants as the secretary of labor.

President Donald Trump announced in a press conference on February 16, 2017, that he would nominate Acosta to fill the position of Secretary of Labor after the nomination of Andrew Puzder was withdrawn. [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] Acosta was recommended by White House counsel Don McGahn. [49] Acosta is the first, and – as of May 2019 – the only Hispanic person to serve in Trump's cabinet. [50] [51] [52] [53] [54]

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held confirmation hearings on March 22, 2017, and Acosta's nomination was reported out of the committee on March 30, 2017. [55]

On April 27, 2017, Acosta was confirmed as Secretary of Labor by the U.S. Senate in a 60–38 vote. He received the support of eight Democratic Senators and all Republican senators except Senator Pat Toomey, who did not participate in the vote. [56] On April 28, 2017, Acosta was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence. [57]

Tenure

In 2019, Acosta proposed cutting the funding of his department's International Labor Affairs Bureau from $68 million in 2018 to under $20 million in 2020. That agency combats human trafficking (including child sex trafficking), child labor and forced labor internationally. [58] [59]

During Acosta's confirmation hearing, he discussed the need and his support of apprenticeship as a workforce development tool to close the skills gap. [60] On June 15, 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order 13801, "Presidential Executive Order Expanding Apprenticeships in America", establishing the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion with Acosta serving as the chair. [61] [62] The task force held five public meetings and issued their final report to President Trump on May 10, 2018. [63] [62]

Following the task force final report, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the following initiatives to expand and promote apprenticeship opportunities:

Acosta announced that the Trump administration maintained a goal of one million new apprentices. [67]

Acosta resigned as Labor Secretary, effective July 19, 2019, following criticism of his role in the Epstein case. [68]

Recognition

Acosta has twice been named one of the nation's 50 most influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine. He serves or served on the Florida Innocence Commission, [69] on the Florida Supreme Court's Commission on Professionalism, [70] Florida Supreme Court's Access to Justice Commission, [18] and on the Commission for Hispanic Rights and Responsibilities. [71] In 2008, Acosta was named as one of the 100 most influential people in business ethics by the Ethisphere Institute. [72]

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References

  1. ↑ Weaver, Jay; Yanez, Luisa (May 28, 2009). "U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta to lead FIU's law school". The Miami Herald .
  2. 1 2 ""Non Prosecution Agreement In Re Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein," September 24, 2007". Scribd. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Trump's labor pick is FIU law dean and a former Miami U.S. attorney". Miami Herald . Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta". DOL.gov. United States Department of Labor . Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Alexander Acosta '94 nominated to be labor secretary". Harvard Law Today. February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  6. ↑ Adams, T. Becket (February 16, 2017). "6 things to know about Alexander Acosta, Trump's new pick for labor secretary". Washington Examiner. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  7. ↑ King, John; Raju, Manu; Merica, Dan (February 16, 2017). "Trump names first Hispanic Cabinet pick". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
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  9. ↑ "Former U.S. Attorney becomes chairman of U.S. Century Bank". By Brian Bandell of South Florida Business Journal. December 12, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Our Leadership". Gulliver School. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Office of the Inspector General; Office of Professional Responsibility (January 13, 2009). An Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring and Other Improper Personnel Actions in the Civil Rights Division (PDF) (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  12. ↑ Morrow, Brendan (February 16, 2017). "R. Alexander Acosta: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
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  14. ↑ "A passion of Trump's new Labor secretary pick: Trafficking 'is evil. It is hideous.'". miamiherald. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Statement of R. Alexander Acosta before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights Hearing Entitled: "Protecting the Civil Rights of Muslim Americans", March 29. 2011" (PDF). Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  16. ↑ Newman, Maria (May 10, 2004). "U.S. to Reopen Investigation of Emmett Till's Murder in 1955". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  17. ↑ "#311: 05-10-04 Justice Department To Investigate 1955 Emmett Till Murder" (Press release). Department of Justice. May 10, 2004. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
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  19. 1 2 3 Serwer, Adam (February 16, 2017). "The Scandal That May Haunt the New Nominee for Labor Secretary". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  20. ↑ Rappeport, Alan (February 16, 2017). "R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump's New Pick for Labor". New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  21. ↑ Graham, David (February 16, 2017). "Trump's New Pick for Secretary of Labor: Alexander Acosta". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Mary McCarty's Fall From Grace". FloridaTrend. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  23. ↑ Wilkie, Dana (February 16, 2017). "Alexander Acosta Is Trump's New Pick for Labor Secretary". Society for Human Resource Management. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  24. ↑ "The Issue: Health Care Fraud Costly". Sun Sentinel. May 24, 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  25. ↑ Brown, Julie K. (February 21, 2019). "Federal prosecutors broke law in Jeffrey Epstein case, judge rules". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  26. 1 2 Brown, Julie K. (November 28, 2018). "For years, Jeffrey Epstein abused teen girls, police say. A timeline of his case". Miami Herald . Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  27. ↑ Brown, Julie K. (November 28, 2018). "Cops worked to put serial sex abuser in prison. Prosecutors worked to cut him a break". Miami Herald . Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  28. ↑ North, Anna (July 31, 2019). "Alan Dershowitz helped sex offender Jeffrey Epstein get a plea deal. Now he's tweeting about age of consent laws". Vox.com . Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  29. 1 2 "How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime". Miami Herald. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  30. ↑ Berman, Mark (February 22, 2019). "Judge: Prosecutors' deal with Jeffrey Epstein in molestation case violated law, misled victims". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  31. ↑ Musgrave, Jane. "BREAKING: Feds explain sweet deal for billionaire sex offender Epstein". Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Doe v. United States. Opinion and Order". www.documentcloud.org. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  33. ↑ Briquelet, Kate (June 25, 2019). "Feds Want to Uphold Billionaire Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's Shady Plea Deal" . Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  34. ↑ Birnbaum, Emily (December 4, 2018). "Lawmakers call for investigation into Labor Secretary Acosta for sex offender plea deal". TheHill. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  35. ↑ Goldberg, Michelle (December 3, 2018). "Opinion | Why Does Alex Acosta Still Have a Job?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Alex Acosta, you made a mockery of Florida's sex offender laws. It's time to resign". Miami Herald . Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Justice Department opens probe into Jeffrey Epstein's plea deal". NBC News. February 7, 2019.
  38. ↑ Kullgren, Ian (February 6, 2019). "DOJ opens investigation into Alexander Acosta plea deal". Politico. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  39. ↑ Shallwani, Pervaiz; Briquelet, Kate; Siegel, Harry (July 6, 2019). "Jeffrey Epstein Arrested for Sex Trafficking of Minors". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  40. ↑ Karni, Annie; Sullivan, Eileen; Scheiber, Noam (July 12, 2019). "Acosta to Resign as Labor Secretary Over Jeffrey Epstein Plea Deal". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  41. ↑ "DOJ review finds Alex Acosta used 'poor judgment' in Jeffrey Epstein deal | CNN Politics". CNN . November 12, 2020.
  42. ↑ Ward, Vicky (July 9, 2019). "Jeffrey Epstein's Sick Story Played Out for Years in Plain Sight". The Daily Beast.
  43. ↑ "FIU Law Dean Acosta nominated for U.S. labor secretary post". February 16, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  44. ↑ "President Donald J. Trump Nominates R. Alexander Acosta to be Secretary of Labor". whitehouse.gov . Retrieved August 9, 2018– via National Archives.
  45. ↑ "Trump announced Alexander Acosta as new Labor Secretary pick on Thursday". NBC News . February 16, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  46. ↑ Baker, Peter (February 16, 2017). "R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is Trump's New Pick for Labor". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  47. ↑ Rucker, Philip (February 16, 2017). "In an erratic performance, President Trump shows his supporters who's boss". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  48. ↑ Baker, Peter (February 16, 2017). "'I Inherited a Mess,' Trump Says, Defending His Performance". The New York Times . Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  49. ↑ Cook, Nancy (May 16, 2017). "Trump's top lawyer faces a giant cleanup job". Politico.
  50. ↑ "Trump to name Alexander Acosta as labor secretary nominee". Politico . February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  51. ↑ John King; Manu Raju; Dan Merica (February 16, 2017). "Trump to announce Alexander Acosta as labor secretary pick". CNN. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
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  53. ↑ "A look at Trump's Cabinet picks". ABC News. March 3, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  54. ↑ Choi, Matthew (April 4, 2019). "Trump names Jovita Carranza, U.S. treasurer, to head SBA". Politico . Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  55. ↑ "PN88 — R. Alexander Acosta — Department of Labor". Congress.gov. United States Congress. April 27, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  56. ↑ United States Senate. "On the Nomination (Confirmation R. Alexander Acosta, of Florida, to be Secretary of Labor)".
  57. ↑ "R. Alexander Acosta sworn in as the 27th Secretary of the US Department of Labor". DOL.gov. United States Department of Labor. April 28, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  58. ↑ Kindy, Kimberly; Somnez, Felicia; Rein, Lisa (April 3, 2019). "Acosta confronted by lawmakers over plea deal in Jeffrey Epstein sexual misconduct case". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  59. ↑ Pilkington, Ed (July 10, 2019). "Trump labor secretary who cut Epstein deal plans to slash funds for sex trafficking victims". The Guardian . Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  60. ↑ "Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115–268" (PDF). Congress.gov. United States Congress. March 22, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  61. ↑ "Presidential Executive Order Expanding Apprenticeships in America". whitehouse.gov . June 15, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2019– via National Archives.
  62. 1 2 "Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion Final Report to the President of the United States" (PDF). DOL.gov. United States Department of Labor. May 10, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  63. ↑ "Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion". DOL.gov. United States Department of Labor . Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  64. ↑ "Training and Employment Notice No. 03-18: Creating Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs to Expand Opportunity in America". DOLETA.gov. United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. July 27, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  65. ↑ "U.S. Department of Labor Announces Apprenticeship.gov". DOL.gov. United States Department of Labor. August 30, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  66. ↑ "Homepage". Apprenticeship.gov. United States Department of Labor . Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  67. ↑ Barton, Mary Ann (March 4, 2019). "Trump administration to push for 'a million apprenticeships'". NACo.org. National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  68. ↑ Block, Valerie (July 12, 2019). "Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigns amid pressure from Jeffrey Epstein sex traffic case". CNBC. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  69. ↑ "Publications". August 5, 2014. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  70. ↑ "Who is Labor secretary pick Alexander Acosta?". Fox News . February 16, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  71. ↑ "Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities". www.americanbar.org. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  72. ↑ "100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics 2008". Ethisphere Institute. December 31, 2008. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
Legal offices
Preceded by United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
2003–2005		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Marcos Jiménez
 United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
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Academic offices
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2009–2017		Succeeded by
Tawia Ansah
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