Senate Confirms Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Labor Secretary

President Trump’s formal Cabinet is now complete. With a vote of 67 in favor and 32 against, Lori Chavez-DeRemer becomes the 30th Secretary of Labor.

Chavez-DeRemer got her start in politics when she was elected to the city council of Happy Valley, Oregon, in 2004. Six years later, she ran for and was elected mayor and served two terms. In 2016, she ran for the state house of representatives, but lost to Democrat restauranteur Janelle Bynum. Chavez-DeRemer ran for the seat again in the next cycle and lost to Bynum again.

In 2022, Chavez-DeRemer was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Oregon’s 5th congressional district, but lost reelection two years later, once again to her political nemesis Janelle Bynum. That election was closely watched and hotly contested, becoming the most expensive Oregon House election drawing more than $26 million in outside spending. She was the first Republican woman to represent Oregon in the House, and one of the first two Hispanic women elected to the House from Oregon.

Described by The New York Times as “a mainstream Republican” who presents herself as an independent thinker, Chavez-DeRemer is considered a surprising choice for Trump’s nomination. She was one of just six Republicans to sign a bipartisan letter from members of the House of Representatives pledging to respect the results of the 2024 presidential election, co-sponsored legislation with Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries to reform federal cannabis laws, and was the only Republican to co-sponsor (and one of only three to support) the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (referred to as the “PRO Act”) that would give workers more advantages when organizing or joining unions, and would weaken state “right-to-work” laws.

Chavez-DeRemer explicitly walked back her support for the provisions overturning right-to-work laws during her confirmation hearing, but did not confirm whether she still supported the rest of the legislation.

The president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Sean O’Brien, recommended her to President Trump, having previously said that she “knows the importance of carrying a union card and what it means to grow up in a middle-class household.” Chavez-DeRemer’s father had been a Teamster, and she sought and received support from Oregon unions in her run for the House.

Three Senate Republicans, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, both of Kentucky, and Ted Budd of North Carolina, broke with the other members of their party by voting “no.” McConnell said in a statement the day before her confirmation, “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.”

Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination was saved in committee by three votes from Democrats, and her nomination was ultimately confirmed with 18 Democrat votes.

Immediately following her confirmation, Chavez-DeRemer posted on X, “I’m deeply honored to be confirmed as the 30th @USDOL Secretary under President @realDonaldTrump. As promised, I’ll work tirelessly to put American Workers First by fighting for good-paying jobs, safe working conditions, and secure retirement benefits.”