Fast Food Exec Andrew Puzder Tapped to Be Trump's Labor Secretary

— -- Fast food executive Andrew Puzder has been tapped to head the Department of Labor, the Trump transition team said Thursday.

“Andy Puzder 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 of Labor,” Trump said in a statement. “Andy will fight to make American workers safer and more prosperous by enforcing fair occupational safety standards and ensuring workers receive the benefits they deserve, and he will save small businesses from the crushing burdens of unnecessary regulations that are stunting job growth and suppressing wages.”

Puzder said he was "honored" to be selected and believes "that the right government policies can result in more jobs and better wages for the American worker," he said in a statement provided by the Trump team. The position will require Senate confirmation.

Puzder, who has spent his career in the private sector, is the CEO of CKE Restaurants, Inc., which is the parent company of fast food chains Hardee's and Carl's Jr.

Puzder is a vocal opponent of the Obama administration’s proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25. He criticized a recent Labor Department rule expanding eligibility for overtime pay.

“This new rule will simply add to the extensive regulatory maze the Obama Administration has imposed on employers, forcing many to offset increased labor expense by cutting costs elsewhere,” Puzder wrote in Forbes earlier this year. “In practice, this means reduced opportunities, bonuses, benefits, perks and promotions.”

He supports repealing the Affordable Care Act, arguing it could contribute to a “restaurant recession.”

In 2015, Puzder defended Carl’s Jr.’s racy television ads featuring scantily clad women, including a Super Bowl spot which stirred up controversy at the time.

"I like our ads. I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis. I think it's very American," he told Entrepreneur last year.