The Senate voted along strictly party lines to confirm
The 53-44 vote featured all of the chamber’s Republicans supporting Scalia, largely based on his reputation as an elite labor and employment attorney. Senate Democrats, who voted uniformly against Scalia, raised objections to President
Scalia, who has decades of experience defending Fortune 500 companies in court, will return to the Labor Department for the first time since 2003. The son of former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia served as the agency’s chief legal officer and No. 3 official for one year in the
Sen.
“I have received 32 letters in support of Mr. Scalia’s nomination from small business owners, employers, workers, and Mr. Scalia’s colleagues and mentees, including a number of women and former career attorneys at the Department of Labor,” Alexander said.
On the opposite side of the aisle, the chamber’s Democratic leadership huddled hours before the Senate vote to raise public awareness in an ultimately failed effort to sink the nomination.
“President Trump’s nomination of Mr. Scalia is a gigantic missed opportunity to nominate a fighter for workers to be the next labor secretary,” said Senate Minority Leader
The only three lawmakers who didn’t make an appearance were the three Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
At his confirmation hearing Sept. 19, Scalia defended his record of taking the department’s worker-protection mission seriously during his time as DOL solicitor. He also highlighted his private-sector work advising clients to eradicate poor workplace conditions and representing a few employees pro bono.
Active Rulemaking
Scalia’s confirmation comes as the Labor Department recently unveiled a highly anticipated rule to expand overtime pay eligibility to more than 1 million workers.
His expertise as an administrative law scholar will come in handy as the department’s likely to face a legal challenge from those who urged the DOL to fight to save an Obama-era proposal. That initiative, which stalled in court, would have made some 4 million workers newly eligible for time-and-a-half-pay for all hours beyond 40 per week.
The DOL also is finalizing regulations to limit shared liability for businesses in staffing and franchise relationships, rolling out a new industry-led apprenticeship program, and updating overtime pay calculations.
The department wants to cement those rules before the end of Trump’s first term.
Scalia will assume control from acting Labor Secretary
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