The Story:
President Donald Trump has nominated Eugene Scalia to be the next US Secretary of Labor: the confirmation hearings are sure to be contentious and to open up a new round of arguments over the administration’s regulatory policies and their impact on employees of major for-profit corporations.
Background:
In May of this year, Trump’s Labor Department quietly announced that it might change regulations under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Some administration officials have argued that the existing regulations are too permissive, allowing employees to game the system. They would like new rules that would empower employers to investigate the realities behind an employee’s injury claim.
Confirmation hearings for a Labor Secretary are a sensible time for the Senators who would presumably oppose such a change to press for specifics on the planned changes, why they are necessary and appropriate, and where the new nominee stands.
The Thing to Know:
Eugene Scalia is the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who until his death in 2016 had developed a formidable reputation as a conservative jurist. The famous family connection helps contribute to Eugene Scalia’s value to each side of the political wars, either as mascot or as target.
