President Donald Trump has reportedly chosen R. Alexander Acosta as his second nominee for labor secretary after fast-food executive Andrew Puzder withdrew Wednesday, as it became clear he would not earn enough support in the Senate to be confirmed.
Acosta is the first Hispanic nominee to Trump's Cabinet. He previously served as the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division under former President George W. Bush. In 2011, Acosta testified before Congress to defend the rights of Muslim Americans, where he argued that "we are a nation built on principles of freedom, and high on the list of freedoms is freedom of religious expression."
Acosta formerly served as a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and is currently the dean of the Florida International University College of Law.