Andy Puzder, Donald Trump’s choice to head up the Department of Labor, has withdrawn his nomination for the position, as reported by the Associated Press and NBC News. While Puzder has become the first Trump nominee to not make it through the confirmation process, this doesn’t come as a total surprise. He faced immense scrutiny from senators from both parties, and questions arose concerning his business record. Now, Puzder has tweeted confirmation of this news.
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.
— Andy Puzder (@AndyPuzder) February 15, 2017
When Puzder was announced as the nominee for Labor Secretary, Democrats questioned the choice as his business resume seemed to indicate he may not be right for the position. As head of CKE Restaurants (which owns Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s), Puzder was known to oppose raising the minimum wage and was all for eliminating labor costs by employing robots. In addition, some of his brands’ marketing tactics were seen as too racy.
That uncertainty seemed to trickle down to Republicans, who took umbrage with his immigration stances, which ran against Donald Trump’s stated objectives. NBC News noted that Puzder’s family had hired a housekeeper who was an undocumented worker, although Puzder claimed that he had no knowledge of her status.
And questions revolving his personal life were brought to light, as Puzder’s ex-wife alleged domestic abuse (although she subsequently recanted), which may have contributed to lawmakers’ unease. The Washington Post also appears to indicate that Puzder was not up for the scrutiny he would receive, a point seemingly backed up by CBS News’ Major Garrett:
News: Source very close to Labor Secretary nominee Andy Puzder tells me he expects Puzder to withdraw. "He's very tired of the abuse."
— Major Garrett (@MajorCBS) February 15, 2017
The Post stated that senators were ready to grill Puzder at his confirmation hearing, and in an interesting note, his supporters were willing to show solidarity in an odd way:
“Democrats on the panel who oppose Puzder are vowing to show racy images of bikini-clad models eating hamburgers that appeared in television commercials run by his restaurant chains. His supporters are planning to eat biscuits from Hardee’s — one of Puzder’s burger chains — for breakfast while tracking the hearing from a makeshift war room.”
A bummer about this situation is we now won’t be able to see the image of lawmakers snacking on biscuits during a Senate hearing.
(Via NBC News & The Washington Post)