Trump's ability to pick people whose life goal seems to be to roll everything back that's happened in the last eight years (if not the last eighty) is certainly fascinating to watch, if only in an "avalanche slowly rumbling down the mountain toward a bus full of nuns" fashion.
After having chosen an anti-environmentalist to run EPA, a civil illibertarian as Attorney General, and a National Security Advisor who looks like he's about to have a fit of apoplexy all the time, we have a new gem: Andrew Puzder, to be the new Secretary of Labor.
Let me count the ways:
1. A fast-food millionaire CEO, currently running CKE (he just loves the food-dribbling-on-scantily-clad-burger-chomping-models ads that Carl's Jr./Hardee's has been producing the past few years)
2. A vocal opponent of increasing the Minimum Wage
3. A big-time opponent of the ACA
4. An opponent of the new regulations on overtime pay
Now, the DoL's Mission Statement is: To foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.
Really kind of sounds like he's not all that enthusiastic about any of those things. Except for maybe profitable employment, in terms of employment that is profitable for employers.
Well, yeah, he does have a cunning plan to help workers: cut regulations. See, the reason companies aren't hiring people for great jobs is because of all the labor regulations that businesses have to follow. If they don't have regulations, then they can hire lots and lots of people with the money they save, right? It's helping employees by helping employers, because employers will always pass their savings on.
And that all sounds good, until we get to hear precisely what regulations he's eager to cut. I will wager a small amount of money that most workers will not be thrilled by the selection.
Puzder has pretty much zero government experience, but his qualifications for the Trump cabinet are impeccable: he also served as an economic advisor to the Trump campaign, and he and his wife ponied up $330K in donations to the cause. Which, given his multi-million dollar income from CKE seems to have been well within his reach, and certainly makes him the perfect guy to watch over the rights and working conditions of the average American worker. Because what could be more natural than running the labor force like you run your fast food restaurant?
The tension continue to mount for the last few big choices for Trump: Veterans Affairs (an ex-general, I'll bet!), Energy (another oil & gas man), Agriculture (a general? an oil & gas guy? a concrete patio mogul? who knows, except it wll probably be a big donor), Interior (definitely another oil & gas guy), and, of course, State (any bets on another general?).
I can hardly wait to see!
References:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-andy-puzder-labor-secretary-20161208-story.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-12-08/trump-said-to-pick-fast-food-ceo-puzder-as-labor-secretary
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/us/politics/andrew-puzder-labor-secretary-trump.html
Trump’s Likely Labor Pick, Andrew Puzder, Is Critic of Minimum Wage Increases
Mr. Puzder, chief executive of the company behind Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., also strongly supports repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Here's the weird thing about this guy, though.
Trump’s signature issue was immigration restriction.
He slammed the Bush family in general and Jeb Bush in particular as weak and low energy on immigration.
The Labor Department enforces immigration law in the workplace — the key way that immigration laws are enforced…
And the person Trump names to head Labor is perhaps the most outspoken advocate of Bush-style immigration policy in the US business community.
Basically his labor secretary is pro-immigration and views undocumented immigrants as future employees and "worthy of sympathy." He supported Obama’s 2013 immigration reform bill — the only part of it he didn’t like was the increase in border security.
Which… hey, if his influence somewhat counteracts all the anti-immigration people in Trump's cabinet, good.
Don't get me wrong – the rest of the guy's stance is a trash fire, but his immigration POV might actually be good.
(Talk about learning to appreciate the small things.)
+Doyce Testerman He's in a business that relies on cheap labor, often immigrant labor. It's not a huge surprise that, while in that realm, he'd be in favor of immigration.
How that "evolves" once he's in the administration is another matter.
But, yeah, we'll see.
Part of that evolution depends on whether he stops running his other business while being the head of the DoL.
Which… I mean… why would any of these guys do that?
+Doyce Testerman Well, generally, of course, naturally they would.
Then I look at the boss man (who just announced today that he plans to stay on as Executive Producer on The Apprentice).
Of course, I think Conflict of Interest laws do actually apply to cabinet members, so that could be an issue. Can't do stuff about Minimum Wage when half your employees are on Minimum Wage, right?