President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced his plan to nominate outgoing U.S. representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer as secretary of labor, shocking business allies by selecting a Republican lawmaker with a pro-union record.
While she made history as the first Republican women to represent Oregon in the House of Representatives when she was elected in 2022, Chavez-DeRemer recently lost reelection in her district earlier this month.
Chavez-DeRemer is one of the few Republicans who has adopted a pro-union stance in their policies. During her time on Capitol Hill, Chavez-DeRemer was one of three House Republicans who backed the Democrat-led Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a piece of legislation that would block union-busting and make it easier for workers to unionize.
“I am proud to hereby nominate Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, from the Great State of Oregon, as United States Secretary of Labor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America. I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs.”
News of the nomination saw significant support from several of the country’s leading unions. Sean O’Brien, president of Teamsters, a powerful U.S. labor union representing 1.3 million workers in a number of fields including transportation, public sector, and sanitation, expressed his support of the nomination in a post on X. “North America’s strongest union is ready to work with you every step of the way to expand good union jobs and rebuild our nation’s middle class,” O’Brien wrote. Teamsters is also known to have heavily lobbied for Chavez-DeRenner’s nomination.
The National Education Association (NEA), known as the largest teachers union in the U.S., also signaled their support of Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination by emphasizing her support of unions in the past. “During her time in Congress, Lori Chavez-DeRemer voted against gutting the Department of Education, against school vouchers, and against cuts to education funding,” said NEA President Becky Pringle in a statement. “She cosponsored the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, the PRO Act, and other pro-student, pro-public school, pro-worker legislation.”
Other influential business groups, like the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), which comprises of over 600 organizations that represent millions of businesses, expressed their disappointment in the nomination. “A Secretary of Labor should work to protect workers and employers’ rights and promote economic growth. Chavez-DeRemer’s support of the PRO Act raises legitimate concerns about her possible nomination. We hope President-Elect Trump gives careful consideration to her past support of this anti-worker, anti-business legislation as he evaluates her candidacy, wrote CDW Chair Kristen Swearingen in a statement.
Lawmakers also expressed their attitudes on the nomination shortly after it was announced. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash), a cosponsor of the PRO Act, signaled her support of the pick, adding in a statement that she looks forward to “carefully evaluating Representative Chavez-DeRemer’s qualifications leading up to her hearing and a thorough vetting process.”
“We need a Labor Secretary who will protect workers’ rights, help ensure everyone can have a secure retirement, make sure every worker gets paid the full paycheck they’ve earned, and that all workers are treated with dignity and respect,” said Murray.
The news of Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination comes as Trump announced his pick of Scott Bessent as Secretary of Treasury nominee on Friday.
In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said that Bessent, who is the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, would help to “usher in a new Golden Age for the United States.” Bessent had formerly advised Trump on economic policy during his campaign trail.
Like the nominations of Dr. Mehmet Oz and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Chavez-DeRemer and Bessent will need to be confirmed by a majority of the Senate prior to taking office.
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Amanda Umpierrez is the Managing Editor of 401(k) Specialist magazine. She is a financial services reporter with over six years of experience and a passion for telling stories and reporting news. Amanda received her degree in journalism and government and politics at St. John’s University. She is originally from Queens, New York, but now resides in Denver, Colorado with her partner. In her free time, Amanda enjoys running, cooking, and watching the latest drama show.
