Senate committee advances Trump’s Labor pick

President Trump’s Plan B on labor cleared a key Senate hurdle Thursday.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 12-11 along party lines to send Labor secretary nominee Alexander Acosta to the floor for final approval. 

Trump picked Acosta after his first choice, restaurant executive Andrew Puzder, withdrew himself from consideration in February amid questions about how his restaurant chains treated workers, why he had for years employed an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper and accusations from his ex-wife that he physically abused her.

{mosads}Acosta, a former member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), is seen as an easier sell because he has experience in the field and has been confirmed by the Senate on three separate occasions.

In addition to his role on the NLRB, the Senate previously confirmed Acosta to be assistant attorney general to run the Justice Department’s civil rights division, and as the U.S. attorney in Florida.

Republicans hope to quickly confirm Acosta and add another member to Trump’s Cabinet.

Democrats see Acosta as the lesser of two evils when compared to Puzder, but they’ve also raised concerns about Acosta’s ability to remain independent from the president and be a neutral arbitrator on labor issues.

The top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), said she’s “glad this is not Andrew Puzder here today,” but said she still has “deep concerns” about Acosta.

“The Department of Labor is an agency whose job it is to stand up for the workers in this country, their safety, making sure they get the pay they’ve earned,” Murray told The Hill. “I just do not feel comfortable Mr. Acosta is going to stand up to a Trump administration that, in my opinion, has not done that.”

That may not be enough to block his confirmation.

Acosta needs support from a simple majority of the Senate to be confirmed, which will happen if all 52 Republicans votes for him.

The moderates in the GOP who may have wavered on Puzder seem to feel more comfortable voting for a mainstream nominee like Acosta, who has picked up at least one Democratic vote from his home-state senator, Bill Nelson of Florida.