The Senate has confirmed that former Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer will lead the Department of Labor, finalizing President Donald Trump's Cabinet. This confirmation marks a significant step in the administration's efforts to fill key positions, with Chavez-DeRemer poised to oversee the nation's workforce policies and labor standards.
Chavez-DeRemer was confirmed in a 67-32 vote on Monday. Seventeen Democrats voted, and most Republicans were present. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Ted Budd (R-NC) voted against her confirmation. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) did not vote.
“The American people demand and deserve change after four years of economic heartache under the ‘most pro-union administration in American history.’ Unfortunately, Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s record pushing policies that force hardworking Americans into union membership suggests more of the same," McConnell said in a statement.
Chavez-DeRemer will lead a department with approximately 16,000 full-time employees and a projected budget of $13.9 billion for fiscal year 2025.
She had received some support from Democratic senators during her confirmation hearings, including Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), who said she believed she was "qualified to serve as the next secretary of Labor.”
Some Republicans opposed Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination primarily due to her support for the PRO Act, a bill championed by Democrats that would enhance unions' ability to organize. During her time in the House, Chavez-DeRemer co-sponsored the bill, though she lost her re-election bid in November.
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“Most Americans believe joining a union should be a personal choice – not a mandate – which is why more than half the states, including Kentucky, have adopted right-to-work laws,” McConnell continued. “Secretary Chavez-DeRemer will have a critical opportunity to put the interests of working families ahead of Big Labor bosses by empowering every American worker to join a union on their terms. I hope she takes it.”
His comments come after the Teamsters Union endorsed her for the role in Trump's Cabinet.
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