WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led Senate has confirmed lawyer Eugene Scalia, a son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, as President Donald Trump’s new labor secretary.
The Senate voted Thursday along party lines, 53-44, to approve the nomination.
Scalia spent much of his career as a partner in the Washington office of the Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher firm, where he rang up a string of victories in court cases on behalf of business interests challenging labor and financial regulations.
Republicans say Scalia’s background makes him highly qualified for the Cabinet post. Democrats say he’s fought for corporations and against workers. The AFL-CIO opposed his nomination, calling him a union-busting lawyer.
Trump’s previous labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, resigned in July. Deputy Labor Secretary Pat Pizzella has been serving as acting secretary.
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