Alex Acosta was sworn in as the nation’s 27th secretary of the Department of Labor Friday morning at the White House.
“My parents fled a Cuban dictatorship in search of freedom. They met in high school, fell in love, and married young. Neither attended college,” Acosta said from the White House. “What an amazing nation, that the son of refugees who forewent education to support their family could be standing here with his father in this House taking this Oath,” Acosta continued.
R. Alexander Acosta was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 60-38 vote Thursday evening. The vote completes Trump’s cabinet just hours before his 100th day in office.
“My parents’ experience is part of who I am, and frames my perspectives on the important responsibilities of the Department of Labor,” Acosta said, flanked by members of his family.
Acosta enters the job amid calls from the White House to slash the Department’s budget by 21 percent. President Donald Trump called for deep cuts within the Department of Labor, including the elimination of the $434 million Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which the White House characterized as “ineffective.”
“We have a lot of work to do,” Acosta asserted. “Too many Americans have seen jobs go overseas. Too many Americans have seen jobs filled by foreign workers,” he continued.
A native of Miami and first-generation lawyer, Acosta earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard. He also served as a law clerk to Justice Samuel Alito on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and served as a member of the National Labor Relations Board and was most recently the dean of the Florida International University College of Law.
“Supporting Americans abilities to find good jobs, safe jobs, is a priority for President Trump. I am honored and humbled to be called in service of this effort,” he concluded.
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