Trump's fast-food CEO pick for labor secretary expected to drop out

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Andrew Puzder, President Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Labor, is expected to drop out of the running for the position just a day before his confirmation hearing.

NBC News senior correspondent Peter Alexander tweeted that Puzder is likely to withdraw from consideration for the position. Fox Business was also reporting the news.

On Wednesday, CNN reported that top Republicans in the Senate encouraged the White House to withdraw Puzder's nomination, due to concerns that the fast-food CEO would not receive the necessary votes to be confirmed. A senior GOP source told CNN that at least four Republicans planned to vote against Puzder, and that up to 12 senators could vote against his confirmation. 

Puzder, who was CEO of CKE Restaurants — the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's — is a vocal opponent of raising the minimum wage and of the Affordable Care Act, arguing that the policies result in lower employment rates. He has faced criticism from the left for his past opposition of overtime pay and raising the minimum wage, as well as Carl's Jr and Hardee's history of breaking the law by underpaying workers, a common issue in the fast-food industry. 

"I gave more than 20 years of my life to CKE, and Mr. Puzder took a company that I loved and turned it into a business that makes money by stealing from its workers," Laura McDonald, a former Carl's Jr. general manager, said in a recent forum hosted by Senate Democrats.

On the right, Puzder has faced criticism for his pro-immigration stance. While in December, Puzder stated that to "hire American and buy American is our policy," in 2015 the fast-food CEO criticized Republican candidates for their anti-immigration policies. 

Puzder's personal life has also raised questions. Politico obtained a tape of Puzder's ex-wife, Lisa Fierstein, on Oprah, saying that he had "vowed revenge" on her when she claimed her had abused her. Fierstein later retracted her allegations of domestic abuse. 

The White House didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. 

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