Trump picks Puzder for Labor Department secretary

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump today added another wealthy business person and elite donor to his Cabinet, with fast-food executive Andrew Puzder as labor secretary.

Puzder heads CKE Restaurants Holdings, the parent company of Carl's Jr., Hardee's and other chains. In 2010, he published a book called "Job Creation: How it Really Works and Why Government Doesn't Understand It."

The Californian was one of Trump's earliest campaign financiers, serving as a co-chairman of his California finance team and organizing fundraisers well before most major donors got on board with the eventual Republican nominee.

Together with his wife, Puzder contributed $150,000 in late May to Trump's campaign and Republican Party partners, fundraising records show.

As one of Trump's most outspoken defenders, Puzder frequently appeared on cable news and Twitter to talk up the benefits of having a business leader in the White House.

A week after Trump's election, Puzder said he agreed with Trump's aim to ease business regulations.

"We've reached the point where overregulation is doing meaningful damage to our businesses," he said last month at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference in Las Vegas, citing high labor costs, increased health care costs and "political and social" policies as hindrances.