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Washington — Former GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Trump’s nominee to run the Labor Department, appeared before a Senate committee for her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, where she has faced questions about her support for a pro-union bill when she was in Congress and other labor issues.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who sits on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, has said he will oppose her because of her previous support for pro-labor policies. Chavez-DeRemer was one of only three Republicans who supported the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, in the last Congress. The bill would have strengthened labor protections for workers to collectively bargain and expanded penalties for employers that violate workers’ rights.
Chavez-DeRemer addressed her support for the bill in her opening statement, saying she recognized the legislation was “imperfect” and would implement President Trump’s labor policies if confirmed as secretary.
“If confirmed, my job will be to implement President Trump’s policy vision. And my guiding principle will be President Trump’s guiding principal — ensuring a level playing field for businesses, unions and, most importantly, the American worker,” she said.
In January, Paul predicted that Chavez-DeRemer could lose more than a dozen Republican votes. But so far, he’s been the only GOP senator to publicly pull his support.
“I’m the national spokesman and lead author of the right-to-work bill. Her support for the PRO Act, which would not only oppose national right-to-work but would preempt state law on right-to-work — I think it’s not a good thing,” Paul told NBC News last month. “And it’d be sort of hard for me, since it’s a big issue for me, to support her.”
Paul questioned Chavez-DeRemer about right-to-work policies during the hearing, asking whether she is still supportive of the PRO Act, which he said would have overturned right-to-work laws in half the country. When Chavez-DeRemer said she “fully” supports states that “want to protect their right to work,” Paul doubled down, asking if she no longer supports the aspects of the PRO Act that would have overturned state right-to-work laws. She said she did not.
Without Paul, Chavez-DeRemer will need at least one Democrat on the Senate HELP Committee to vote to advance her nomination. Republicans have a 12-11 vote majority on the panel.
Chavez-DeRemer could pick up support from Democrats for her pro-union stances, but many are fuming over the president’s ongoing overhaul of the executive branch and firings of federal workers. Democrats expressed appreciation for Chavez-DeRemer’s record during the hearing, but none emerged as clear backers of her nomination.
So far, Mr. Trump’s Cabinet nominees have been confirmed with minimal GOP defections. Three Republicans voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. Republicans have otherwise united behind Mr. Trump’s picks, with the exception of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who voted against three nominees as of last week.
Mr. Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican, as labor secretary after she lost her reelection bid in November. She served one two-year term in Congress, becoming the first Republican woman elected to Congress in Oregon.
