87 Civil Rights Groups Urge Thorough HELP Committee Review of Acosta

WASHINGTON – Today, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and 86 national, state, and local civil rights groups sent a letter to Senate HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray, urging a thorough review of U.S. Secretary of Labor Nominee Alex Acosta.

The letter reads: “Mr. Acosta, if confirmed, will preside over a very large department with 17,000 employees. The American public, and Department of Labor workers, must be reassured that the civil service will not be politicized under Mr. Acosta’s watch and that the laws the Department is mandated to implement and enforce will be carried out effectively. Due diligence requires that this Committee probe the nominee about what steps he will commit to take to ensure that this type of politicization of the hiring process does not happen at the Department of Labor.”

“The Secretary of Labor should uphold the Department’s mission of protecting the welfare, health, and safety of American workers,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “It is vital that senators ensure Mr. Acosta will give priority to their needs.”

The full letter is available here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference, visit www.civilrights.org.

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