joined over 60 other organizations in urging leaders of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to carefully scrutinize the record of Labor Department Secretary nominee, Alex Acosta. In 2008, a report by the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility of the Department of Justice found politicized hiring within the Department of Justice while Acosta served as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights within the department. The report specifically found that Acosta had indications of questionable hiring practices by Civil Rights Division official Bradley Schlozman and yet did not properly raise concerns. Moreover, Acosta also controversially wrote a letter to the court reviewing the Spencer v. Blackwell case relating to voter suppression of African-Americans in 2004, arguing that a proposed “voter caging” scheme did not actually violate the Voting Rights Act. NHMC’s letter specifically asks Senate Committee leadership to probe Acosta’s background and ensure he does not similarly politicize hiring within the Labor Department. The letter also asks that Acosta be compelled to address important economic issues such as minimum wage, paid family leave, and pay equity, among others. https://www.nhmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Acosta-Secretary-of-Labor-Letter.pdf ]]>
