and under his constitute lidtut leadership, fsu opened the door for hundreds of young people who would have had to do what i did, take on significant student loan debt in order to get their jurisdictijusris doctor degree. with every challenge he's confronted throughout his distinguished career, alex has continuously demonstrated his ability to effectively tackle the problems at hand with ease. he's a brilliant, brilliant legal mind, someone with deep knowledge of labor issues. and a proven leader and manager for these reasons and many more, i'm confident alex acosta will serve the nation admirably. i'm proud to introduce him to the committee today and urge you to support his nomination. i think you, mr. chairman, the ranking member for this opportunity. >> thank you, senator rubio. senator cruz, welcome. >> thank you, mr. chairman, ranking member, members of this committee. it is a privilege to be before you today and have the opportunity to introduce my friend, alex acosta. i've known alex for 25 years. he and i went to law school together. we've been friends a long time. there's a lo