WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Labor Department has admitted to employing an undocumented immigrant as a house cleaner, a revelation that has derailed Cabinet nominees in previous administrations.
Andrew Pudzer, chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants Inc, is one of several Trump nominees who faced strong opposition from Senate Democrats and progressive groups. He has criticized an overtime rule championed by the Obama administration and opposed raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
In a statement, Pudzer said he and his wife had employed a housekeeper for a few years without being aware that she was not legally permitted to work in the US.
“When I learned of her status, we immediately ended her employment and offered her assistance in getting legal status,” he said in the statement. He said he paid back taxes for employing the maid to the US Internal Revenue Service and to California. The statement was first reported by Huffington Post.
The disclosure came as Senate Democrats held an all-night session in a final attempt to block the nomination of Betsy DeVos, the millionaire school-choice champion whom Trump nominated to be education secretary.
Last week, an aide for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions said the panel would not “officially” schedule a hearing on Pudzer until it receives his paperwork from the Office of Government Ethics.
Some political strategists said that could signal trouble for the fast-food executive.
Wilbur Ross, Trump’s pick for commerce secretary, said during his confirmation hearing last month that he recently fired a household employee who could not provide proof of legal status.
A Senate panel approved his nomination. However, previous presidential appointees have run into problems over immigrant labor.
Linda Chavez, nominated for labor secretary in 2001 by Republican President George W. Bush, allowed a Guatemalan woman who was in the US illegally to live in her home and gave her spending money.
Zoe Baird, Democratic president Bill Clinton’s nominee for attorney general in 1993, withdrew from consideration after she admitted hiring two illegal immigrants as a driver and a nanny and not paying their Social Security taxes.
Another Bush nominee, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, withdrew his name from consideration for homeland security secretary in 2004 after he disclosed that questions had been raised about the legal status of a former housekeeper and nanny.
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Trump nominee admits to employing illegal immigrant
Trump nominee admits to employing illegal immigrant
Poland’s political divide hobbles reform as war rages next door
WARSAW: With war raging in neighboring Ukraine and deep division at home, Poland’s pro-European government has become deadlocked as the country’s nationalist president blocks reforms at an unprecedented scale.
Although he has held office for just four months, President Karol Nawrocki, supported by Poland’s right-wing opposition, has already vetoed 17 laws passed by parliament.
Nawrocki has also refused appointments and promotions for judges, ambassadors and special service agents.
Throughout his short tenure, the head of state has criticized Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist coalition government, positioning himself as the ultimate guardian of national sovereignty.
It is a move that many in the government and opposition have compared to US President Donald Trump, with whom Nawrocki shares ideological similarities.
During the 2023 legislative campaign, Tusk promised to reverse reforms implemented between 2015 and 2023 by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
His pro-European stance contrasts sharply with that of the PiS government, which clashed frequently with Brussels, particularly over the rule of law.
In Poland, the head of state, who serves a five-year term, traditionally plays a primarily representative role, while exerting some influence over foreign and defense policy.
- ‘Double discourse’ -
The lack of understanding on domestic affairs also extends to the foreign policy of the EU and NATO member state.
While Tusk’s government “seeks to strengthen the EU... without seeking to limit relations with the US,” Nawrocki serves as a staunch ally of Trump and his camp, Piotr Buras of the European Council of Foreign Relations think tank told AFP.
This has remained consistent “regardless” of US policy toward Europe, he added.
Opposed to Ukraine joining both the EU and NATO, Nawrocki has yet to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite Warsaw’s key role in delivering military and humanitarian aid against Russia’s invasion.
A staunch critic of the EU, the Polish president has accused Brussels of “depriving member states (apart from Germany and France) of their sovereignty, degrading their national democracies.”
He has also called for major reforms of European treaties.
His remarks were criticized by Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who said that Nawrocki’s statements “contradict government policy.”
According to Buras, “this double discourse in Polish foreign policy creates some confusion among (Polish) partners (...) and undoubtedly makes Poland’s policy weaker” than it could have been.
- ‘Legislative sabotage’ -
Nawrocki has used the presidential veto for one in every five pieces of legislation passed by the Polish government, which the latter has described as “legislative sabotage.”
The vetoes range from bills proposing aid extensions for Ukrainian refugees, to green energy bills, regulations of the cryptocurrency market, taxes and the electoral code.
Some vetoes were issued in spite of public support for the laws, notably those on creating a new national park, liberalising the wind energy market, or banning the tethering of dogs.
Proposals to reform Poland’s abortion laws, among the most restrictive in Europe, have also fallen victim to the executive fracture. Under the threat of a presidential veto, the four proposals debated in parliament since 2023 have failed.
Some believe, however, that this could have a positive outcome by pushing parties toward compromise, Piotr Trudnowski of the conservative think tank Klub Jagiellonski told AFP.
“From now on, everyone will have to think three times before undertaking new initiatives if they want to be effective,” he says.
Although he has held office for just four months, President Karol Nawrocki, supported by Poland’s right-wing opposition, has already vetoed 17 laws passed by parliament.
Nawrocki has also refused appointments and promotions for judges, ambassadors and special service agents.
Throughout his short tenure, the head of state has criticized Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist coalition government, positioning himself as the ultimate guardian of national sovereignty.
It is a move that many in the government and opposition have compared to US President Donald Trump, with whom Nawrocki shares ideological similarities.
During the 2023 legislative campaign, Tusk promised to reverse reforms implemented between 2015 and 2023 by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
His pro-European stance contrasts sharply with that of the PiS government, which clashed frequently with Brussels, particularly over the rule of law.
In Poland, the head of state, who serves a five-year term, traditionally plays a primarily representative role, while exerting some influence over foreign and defense policy.
- ‘Double discourse’ -
The lack of understanding on domestic affairs also extends to the foreign policy of the EU and NATO member state.
While Tusk’s government “seeks to strengthen the EU... without seeking to limit relations with the US,” Nawrocki serves as a staunch ally of Trump and his camp, Piotr Buras of the European Council of Foreign Relations think tank told AFP.
This has remained consistent “regardless” of US policy toward Europe, he added.
Opposed to Ukraine joining both the EU and NATO, Nawrocki has yet to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite Warsaw’s key role in delivering military and humanitarian aid against Russia’s invasion.
A staunch critic of the EU, the Polish president has accused Brussels of “depriving member states (apart from Germany and France) of their sovereignty, degrading their national democracies.”
He has also called for major reforms of European treaties.
His remarks were criticized by Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who said that Nawrocki’s statements “contradict government policy.”
According to Buras, “this double discourse in Polish foreign policy creates some confusion among (Polish) partners (...) and undoubtedly makes Poland’s policy weaker” than it could have been.
- ‘Legislative sabotage’ -
Nawrocki has used the presidential veto for one in every five pieces of legislation passed by the Polish government, which the latter has described as “legislative sabotage.”
The vetoes range from bills proposing aid extensions for Ukrainian refugees, to green energy bills, regulations of the cryptocurrency market, taxes and the electoral code.
Some vetoes were issued in spite of public support for the laws, notably those on creating a new national park, liberalising the wind energy market, or banning the tethering of dogs.
Proposals to reform Poland’s abortion laws, among the most restrictive in Europe, have also fallen victim to the executive fracture. Under the threat of a presidential veto, the four proposals debated in parliament since 2023 have failed.
Some believe, however, that this could have a positive outcome by pushing parties toward compromise, Piotr Trudnowski of the conservative think tank Klub Jagiellonski told AFP.
“From now on, everyone will have to think three times before undertaking new initiatives if they want to be effective,” he says.
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