Exclusive | New York Rep. Brandon Williams is on shortlist for Trumps labor secretary
Upstate Rep.Brandon Williams is one of the final contenders for labor secretary in President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration, The Post can reveal.Williams, 57, is on the “short version of the shortlist,” a source close to the New York GOP and the Trump transition team told The Post.
That source and another close to the team said high-level conversations were likely underway by Friday, three days after last week’s election.Politico reported Tuesday morning the Central New York rep’s name is “being floated” for a job in the executive branch without suggesting what that role might be.The outlet has named just two possible labor contenders: Patrick Pizzella, former deputy labor secretary, and Bryan Slater, who holds the role in Virginia Gov.Glenn Youngkin’s administration.The first-term congressman lost his re-election bid to John Mannion for the Syracuse-area 22nd District, 45.9% to 54.1%, with 98% of the votes counted.The Democrat’s colleagues in the Legislature passed redrawn districts, making it harder for a Republican to get elected in the 22nd this time around. Williams is an ex-Navy nuclear-submarine officer and a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
The businessman-turned-congressman founded CPLANE, a software company that helps large-scale manufacturers. He has three committee assignments: Transportation and Infrastructure; Science, Space and Technology; and Education and the Workforce.Williams is also a member of the Republican Main Street Caucus, which promotes legislation aimed at helping small businesses.New Yorkers have made their mark in the president-elect’s hiring process.Trump has only announced a handful of picks but two New Yorkers are among them: former Rep.Lee Zeldin for Environmental Protection Agency administrator and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik as United Nations ambassador.
Zeldin campaigned for Trump around the country in the election’s final weeks, and Stef...