Jason Delgado
President Joe Biden will soon nominate José Javier Rodríguez to head a division within the Department of Labor, Bloomberg Law reported Friday.
The 42-year-old Rodríguez, a former state Senator, will lead DOL’s Employment and Training Administration if nominated and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. That would thrust him among the highest-ranking Floridians within the Biden administration.
The Employment and Training Administration oversees the nation’s federal unemployment assistance.
“The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers federal government job training and worker dislocation programs, federal grants to states for public employment service programs, and unemployment insurance benefits,” says a DOL website. “These services are primarily provided through state and local workforce development systems.”
Rodriguez, a union attorney, lost reelection in 2020 to Ileana Garcia by fewer than three dozen votes.
As a Democratic lawmaker, Rodriguez frequently criticized Florida’s unemployment system and advocated for more generous unemployment benefits.
Florida’s unemployment benefits are among the least generous in the nation, critics including Rodriguez assert.
Last year, Rodríguez appeared before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. He lambasted Florida’s unemployment system while testifying to lawmakers.
“This experience should serve as a lesson to other states,” Rodríguez told lawmakers. “States that shrink, starve, and ignore their unemployment systems, one day, may have their state legislators delivering such remarks. Federal oversight is needed over states’ unemployment systems, along with resources to modernize their infrastructure.”
Rodriguez’s holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a law degree from Harvard. Prior to serving a single term in the state Senate, he served two terms in the state House, for a total of eight years in the Legislature.
The circumstances of Rodriguez’s reelection defeat are under investigation.
Authorities are investigating the use of a paid, third-party candidate weaponized against Rodriguez.
The NPA candidate, Alex Rodriguez, collected nearly 6,400 votes in the race. He reportedly did not even live in the district.
A trial is set for later this year.
