Climate change, labor, and transportation under Trump
The current picks for cabinet members of the incoming Trump administration are likely to have a substantial influence on policy across the board, with notable change afoot for food, agriculture, and the environment.
The current picks for cabinet members of the incoming Trump administration are likely to have a substantial influence on policy across the board, with notable change afoot for food, agriculture, and the environment.
The current picks for cabinet members of the incoming Trump administration are likely to have a substantial influence on policy across the board, with notable change afoot for food, agriculture, and the environment. President-elect Donald Trump announced Andrew Puzder as his choice for Secretary of Labor. A veteran of the fast food industry, Puzder is the current CEO of CKE Restaurants Inc., whose holdings include fast-food chains Carl鈥檚 Jr. and Hardee鈥檚.聽Trump said of Puzder, 鈥淸he] has created and boosted the careers of thousands of Americans, and his extensive record fighting for workers makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Department.鈥�
Puzder opposes increasing the federal minimum wage and has spoken out against the Affordable Care Act鈥攊n 2015聽he suggested that Obamacare has cost millions of people reliable full-time employment聽(a claim聽some聽question). With Puzder as Secretary of Labor, the future of recent developments like the Obama administration鈥檚聽move to extend overtime pay to many workers聽nationwide alongside the on-the-ground work of organizations and campaigns that have risen to the fore, like聽Fight for $15聽and the聽Restaurant Opportunities Center United, remain unclear.
The nomination of Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests a similar departure from the priorities of the current administration. As Attorney General of Oklahoma, Pruitt has shown support for fossil fuels and resistance to federal industry regulation. In聽the National Review, he wrote, 鈥淕lobal warming has inspired one of the major policy debates of our time鈥cientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind.鈥� During his campaign for the presidency, Trump suggested he would work to dismantle the EPA as a regulatory body, and聽consider a withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreements of 2015, citing concerns about it being 鈥渂ad for business.鈥�
President-elect Trump has selected Elaine L. Chao as Transportation Secretary and Congressman Tom Price to Health and Human Services Secretary, who oversees all programs and agencies related to public health鈥攊ncluding the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Chao served as Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush; as Transportation Secretary, Chao will be directly involved with on President-elect Trump鈥檚 campaign promises for the improvement and expansion of infrastructure nationwide鈥攁n issue closely related to climate change across the nation. A聽2014 National Climate Change Assessment聽predicts increased vulnerability for transportation systems and existing infrastructure ranging from citywide subway systems to coastal highways to power plants. The report suggests that policies that encourage reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will be key concerns for the future of transit and infrastructure in the U.S.
President-elect Trump has yet to announce his nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, who oversees the farming industries, food quality, and food assistance. The聽New York Times聽suggests聽nominees may include Sam Brownback, Governor of Kansas; Chuck Conner, CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; Sid Miller, Commissioner of Agriculture for Texas; and Sonny Perdue, the former governor or Georgia, while聽POLITICO points聽to democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. The President-elect鈥檚 picks for Cabinet positions require Senate confirmation and will be accepted or rejected in January 2017.
This story originally appeared on Food Tank.