Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) will lead the Department of Labor as secretary after the Senate confirmed her nomination on March 10.
Chavez-DeRemer, 56, was approved in a 67–32 vote despite facing initial scrutiny from Republicans over her past union support and from Democrats who questioned her allegiances.
The former congresswoman served one term in the U.S. House before losing her reelection bid to Democrat Rep. Janelle Bynum last November. President Donald Trump nominated her for the role of labor secretary later that month.
During her confirmation hearing on Feb. 19, Chavez-DeRemer fielded tough questions from Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee about her co-sponsorship of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. The 2023 bill, which never received a vote, included a provision that would have overridden state right-to-work laws, which allow employees to opt out of union membership and dues….