The nominee was pressed on her legislative record and loyalty to the Constitution.
Right-to-work laws, visa programs, and the federal minimum wage were among the topics on senators’ minds as they vetted former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) for the role of labor secretary on Feb. 19.
Chavez-DeRemer, 56, represented Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District for one term before losing her reelection bid to Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) in November 2024. President Donald Trump nominated her for labor secretary later that month.
It was an atypical pick for a Republican, given the former congresswoman’s co-sponsorship of the pro-union Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023. The bill sought to expand protections for union workers and independent contractors while weakening states’ right-to-work laws, which allow employees to opt out of union membership.
Trump, who courted union support while on the campaign trail, praised Chavez-DeRemer as having “worked tirelessly with both business and labor to build America’s workforce and support the hardworking men and women of America.”
While Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee grilled the nominee on her previous union support, the question she fielded most from Democrats was whether she was willing to defy the man who appointed her.
Here are a few key takeaways from her responses to those and other questions.
Putting American Workers First
Chavez-DeRemer opened her remarks by noting the surge in blue-collar support that Republicans have enjoyed under Trump’s leadership.
“President Trump has united a new coalition of working-class Americans like never before, with 59.6 percent of Teamsters backing him, historic support from African American and Latino voters, and record-breaking turnout in once solid-blue cities and states,” she said.
“Americans are speaking loud and clear. They are calling for action, progress, and leadership that puts the American worker first.”
Chavez-DeRemer said that would be her goal if she is confirmed as labor secretary.
Citing her background as the source of her dedication to uplifting American workers, the nominee noted that she is the daughter of “a proud Teamster,” her father, who worked in a creamery. She also pointed to her experience as a small business owner, congresswoman, and mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, as insightful to her perspective on labor.
