Lori Chavez-DeRemer Will Not ‘Work’ as Secretary of Labor
President-elect Trump has made a series of cabinet nominations, ranging from excellent to questionable. One choice, in particular, is receiving much admiration from some Democrats while some Republicans fear the worst.
Trump’s announcement of Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as the nominee to serve as secretary of labor is seen as a slight to conservatives and a favor to Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, who spoke at the RNC and lobbied for her to be nominated. Chavez-DeRemer is a one-term congresswoman who lost a close reelection in Oregon’s Democrat-leaning 5th district.
The soon-to-be former congresswoman pitches herself as a centrist-leaning Republican with strong ties to union leadership, as her dad was a member of the Teamsters union. In Congress, she was one of just three Republicans to co-sponsor the PRO Act, which would do away with right-to-work laws and halt independent contracting similar to California’s state law.
She was also one of only a few Republicans to co-sponsor the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which, if enacted, would further strengthen public sector unions by mandating collective bargaining among state and local government employers. It’s worth noting that she was not present at a vote when Republicans in Congress sought to spearhead a Biden administration Labor regulation that prevented the right of classification for independent contractors.
Even though the union support did not help her win reelection to Congress, it is undoubtedly helping her win over Senate Democrats. Sen. John Fetterman praised the Congresswoman as an “incredibly strong, pro-labor choice.”
In addition, liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a statement tentatively supporting Chavez-DeRemer, saying, “It’s a big deal that one of the few Republican lawmakers who has endorsed the PRO Act could lead the Department of Labor. If Chavez-DeRemer commits as labor secretary to strengthen labor unions and promote worker power, she’s a strong candidate for the job.”
Furthermore, progressive organizations are warming up to the potential of Lori Chavez DeRemer as secretary of labor. The AFL-CIO, a major labor union that endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, applauded her stance on labor matters but cautioned about how she might run the Department of Labor under a Trump administration.
The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, a liberal Democrat, posted on X that the nomination of Chavez-DeRemer is “significant” and is encouraged that the incoming Trump administration will “respect collective bargaining and workers’ voices from Teamsters to teachers.” Similarly, the NEA (National Education Association) which regularly gives to Democrats and donated to Democrats this election cycle, raved about Chavez-DeRemer’s congressional votes in favor of public education and unionization.
By the same measure that some Democrats are applauding, Republicans are expressing a bit of hesitation. Sen. Bill Cassidy will be chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where Chavez-DeRemer needs to pass for confirmation, is troubled by her pro-union stances. “I will need to get a better understanding of her support for Democrat legislation in Congress that would strip Louisiana’s ability to be a right-to-work state and if that will be her position going forward,” said Cassidy.
Likewise, Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican and a sponsor of National Right-to-Work, has stated, “I’m not excited about her opposition to right-to-work,” leaving his vote up in the air.
Other conservatives, such as Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, and Tammy McCutchen, former administrator for Labor’s Wage and Hour division under George W. Bush, have vocally disapproved of her nomination. The Competitive Enterprise Institute is on full attack, denouncing Chavez-DeRemer as “not qualified,” and the National Right to Work Committee is working with Republican senators to block her nomination.
President-elect Trump won a mandate to restore the economy and defended the traditionally conservative right-to-work policy position while on the campaign trail. It’s true that the Teamsters members overwhelmingly supported him over Harris, but being pro-worker is not pro-union. Trump needs a labor secretary who will support his pro-business agenda and not undermine it. Lori Chavez-DeRemer either needs to be withdrawn as the secretary of labor nominee or swiftly rejected by every Republican in the Senate.
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