CABINET/LABOR/TRUMP PEOPLE/ALEXANDER ACOSTA: “R. Alexander Acosta, the dean of Florida International University College of Law and a former United States attorney, was confirmed as labor secretary by the Senate on Thursday [4-27-17], becoming the only Latino in President Trump’s cabinet.
The confirmation of Mr. Acosta, 48, completes Mr. Trump’s cabinet and comes at a crucial moment for the president, as he nears the 100-day mark in office. In the 60-to-38 vote, eight Democrats and one independent voted in favor of Mr. Acosta.
Mr. Acosta, who has been endorsed by a number of unions, including the Laborers’ International Union of North America, will be taking over a department that has been without a secretary for three months — pressing him to address some issues fairly quickly. Among them is an Obama-era rule that requires brokers to put the interests of clients who are saving for retirement above their own. Mr. Trump has requested the rule be reviewed and possibly unraveled.”
-Maya Salam, “Senate Confirms R. Alexander Acosta as Labor Secretary,” The New York Times online, April 27, 2017