Alex Acosta
Creator:SHAWN T. MOORE
Credit:U.S. Department of Labor
Copyright:U.S. Department of LaborBio | Alexander Acosta ia an American attorney and politician. He previously served as the 27th U.S. secretary of Labor. |
Status and Position | Former Secretary of Labor of White House Executive Branch |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Republican, White House Executive Branch |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| none |
Campaign Financing | Unknown. |
Voting Rights | Acosta has a history of attacking voting rights. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | Nuance | Acosta has blamed the ACA for a lack of small business success in the healthcare industry, and yet his career points to support for Medicare. While he was US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, more than 700 individuals were prosecuted for Medicare fraud, to the tune of over $2 billion in the district. Later, as Secretary of Labor, he spearheaded a health reimbursement arrangement program for small, private businesses in the healthcare field to beef up their customer bases. |
| Socialized Healthcare | Unknown | He has not said whether he supports socialized health. |
| Private Healthcare | For | Acosta has worked to support private health care and provide incentives specifically for small healthcare businesses. |
| LGBT Rights | Against | Acosta has worked aggressively to curb LGBT Q+ rights. He served on a committee for the pro-family, anti-LGBT Family Research Council. He founded the "Project on the Judiciary," which actively fought against LGBT rights, and he defended the Boy Scouts of America despite their refusal to allow homosexual leadership. |
| Taxes | Against | Acosta is against taxes He has stated that taxation stifles job growth and supported Trump's overhaul of the tax code that resulted in fewer taxes. |
| Flat Tax Rate | Unknown | He has not specified a stance on the flat tax rate. He has stated that taxation stifles job growth and supported Trump's overhaul of the tax code that resulted in fewer taxes. |
| Abortion | Unknown | He has not stated whether he supports abortion. N/A |
| Gun Control | Unknown | He has not stated his position on gun control. N/A |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | He has not stated a position on this issue. N/A |
| Government Interference | Unknown | He has not stated a position on this issue. |
| Planned Parenthood | Unknown | He has not stated his position publicly on this issue. |
| Welfare | Unknown | He has not stated his position on this issue. Although Acosta has not stated a position on welfare, he did repeatedly refuse to raise the minimum wage during his time as labor secretary, as well as stand in the way of other pro-worker laws like mandatory overtime. |
| Welfare | Unknown | He has not stated his position on this issue. |
| Death Penalty | Unknown | He has not stated his position on the death penalty. N/A |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Unknown | He has not stated his position on this issue. |
| Military Spending | Unknown | He has not stated his position on military spending, although he supported legislation that increased work opportunities for military spouses. |
| War on Terrorism | Unknown | He has not weighed in on this issue. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | Unknown | He has not weighed in on this issue. NA |
| United Nations power | Unknown | He has not stated his stance on the UN. |
| Nationalism | Unknown | He has not stated his stance on nationalism. |
| Free Markets | For | Acosta supports free markets. Acosta repeatedly supported legislation and incentives for small businesses and competition in the market. |
| Brexit | Unknown | He has not stated his stance on Brexit. |
| Affirmative Action | Unknown | He has not stated his position on this issue. |
| Government Spending | Unknown | He has not stated his position on this issue. |
| Charter Schools | Unknown | He has not stated his stance on charter schools. |
| Common Core | Unknown | He has not stated his position on this issue. NA |
| Clean Energy | Against | Acosta is opposed to clean energy and the Paris Climate Accord. He has stated his support for traditional American manufacturing, and derides initiatives that pave the way for clean energy sector jobs. |
| Religious Freedom | For | Acosta is for religious freedom. He authorized federal intervention in an Oklahoma case that guaranteed the right to wear a hijab in public schools. |
| Separation of Church and State | Unknown | He has not publicly stated his position on this issue. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | He has not publicly stated a stance on this issue. |
| Border Control | Nuance | Acosta was an advocate for immigration reform, and stated support for immigrants and families. However, he doesn't seem to have spoken specifically on the issue of the southern border. He has worked extensively to help immigrants while serving as US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He has also spoken out about the importance of immigrants to the US and its economy and labor force. He has stated that there needs to be better paths to citizenship for immigrants, and general "immigration reform." |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | He has not stated a position on passenger profiling. |
| DACA | Nuance | Acosta has stated that he feels passionately about those who were brought here as children, and that the government needs to "figure out what to do with them." But he has not stated what should be done. |
| Sanctuary Cities | Nuance | While serving as dean of Florida International University, Acosta's fellow faculty supported offering that campus as a place of sanctuary for immigrants. It's unclear whether Acosta agreed, but he did not take an opposition stance, either. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | Unknown | He has not stated his position on this issue. |
Creator:SHAWN T. MOORE
Credit:U.S. Department of Labor
Copyright:U.S. Department of Labor