11/03/2025
The Senate voted 67-32 on Monday to confirm Lori
Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Labor Department, installing
President Trump's last Cabinet secretary.
The former one-term congresswoman won 17 Democratic
votes while three Republicans voted against her: Sens. Mitch
McConnell (KY), Ted Budd (NC) and Rand Paul (KY).
Ms. Chavez-DeRemer pledged to put "the American worker
first" during her confirmation hearing last month.
"President Trump has united a new coalition of working-class
Americans like never before,"' she told the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, touting his
majority support among Teamsters members.
"Americans are speaking loud and clear. They are calling for
action, progress and leadership that puts the American worker
first."
Ms. Chavez-DeRemer, who represented Oregon's 5th District
for one term before losing reelection in November, said she was
"uniquely prepared" to lead the Labor Department.
She said her father was a "proud Teamster" and that the "fair
pay and benefits he received ensured our family's stability and
security"
Ms. Chavez-DeRemer, who has a strong pro-union record,
distanced herself from her past support of the PRO Act, a
labor bill championed by Democrats that sought to strengthen
collective bargaining rights.
"I recognize that the bill is imperfect, and I am no longer a
lawmaker," she told senators of the legislation she previously
co-sponsored.
"If confirmed, my job will be to implement President Trump's
policy vision, and my guiding principle will be President Trump's
guiding principle: ensuring a level playing field for businesses,
unions, and most importantly, the American worker."
