Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the nomination of Andrew Puzder as Secretary of the Department of Labor.

“As the Chief Executive Officer of CKE Restaurants, which operates chain restaurants Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., Andrew Puzder has compiled a deplorable record on the rights of workers. When the Department of Labor investigated Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., more than half of the restaurants were found to have Fair Labor Standards Act violations. Mr. Puzder has been an outspoken opponent of the minimum wage, reciting the false claim that higher wages result in job losses. He also urges the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, even as many of his workers are not offered any kind of health insurance. Mr. Puzder’s actions in business and his public statements demonstrate a complete lack of interest in building a strong middle class in the United States by supporting working families. In addition, his companies have for many years advertised their products with commercials that degrade women.

“The nomination of Mr. Puzder as Secretary of Labor constitutes an insult to American workers, the proud women and men whose labor has built our nation. How could an individual who wants to pay poverty wages without benefits represent the interests of millions of workers who dream of a prosperous life for themselves and their children? How could we expect someone who approved sexist commercials that define women entirely as objects of male sexual desire to enforce laws that prohibit sex discrimination at work? After a campaign in which the President-elect promised to speak for ‘forgotten Americans,’ it appears that the incoming administration has forgotten American workers. I call on the Senate to oppose this nomination.”

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the Committee on Ethics and the Committee on Small Business in the House of Representatives, proudly represents Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, Park Slope, Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.