Trump’s Labor Nominee at Risk of Losing Committee Vote Without Democrats’ Support

President Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, will have to rely on an odd coalition of support in the Senate ahead of her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, where she will almost certainly be questioned about her support for a major labor union rights bill during her time as a congresswoman. Senate conservatives have raised objections due to the sponsorship of that bill, but a number of unions have enthusiastically endorsed her. Ms. Chavez-DeRemer served for one term in the House from 2023 to 2025, after which she was nominated by the president to lead the labor department. During her time in Congress, she was one of just a handful of GOP lawmakers who endorsed the Protecting The Right To Organize Act, or PRO Act, which would expand for union members’ ability to form and strengthen unions. The legislation, which ultimately did not pass, would remove employers entirely from the union-forming process and allow employees to work directly with the National Labor Relations Board to form their union. Because Senate Republicans have not yet rallied to her the way that they have around other GOP nominees, Ms. Chavez-DeRemer will likely need the support of pro-union Democrats to win her Cabinet post. Senator Paul has already said that he will likely not vote for the nominee given her support for the PRO Act, though he added that he would consider it if she renounced support for the legislation and said she was wrong. The chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Cassidy, also raised concerns about her nomination given her support for the PRO Act, and has not yet committed to supporting her. His committee will conduct her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Outside groups are already trying to derail the confirmation by running ads urging voters to reach out to their senators. Senator Thune has said in the past that he would not bring any nominee to the floor if they do not get out of their respective committees, meaning Mr. Cassidy is a top target for those who want to see Ms. Chavez-DeRemer fail. One outside group, National Right to Work, is running digital ads urging Louisianans to call Mr. Cassidy’s office to tell him to vote against her nomination. “Union bosses want Lori Chavez-DeRemer running Trump’s labor department,” the ad declares. “Chavez-DeRemer wants to end Louisiana’s right-to-work law.” The ad ends with a photo of Mr. Cassidy displayed next to his office’s phone number. Mr. Trump said in announcing her nomination that Ms. Chavez-DeRemer 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,” the president said. Several unions have already lined up behind her nomination, urging senators to vote yes and recognize the shift of union voters to Mr. Trump from Democrats. The Teamsters Union — whose president spoke at the Republican National Convention last summer — praised the president for his selection of Ms. Chavez-DeRemer.“As the daughter of a Teamster, Lori Chavez-DeRemer knows the importance of carrying a union card and what it means to grow up in a middle-class household,” the Teamsters president, Sean O’Brien, said. “Working people need someone with her experience leading the agency that is tasked with protecting workers, creating good union jobs, and rebuilding our nation’s middle class. The Teamsters are grateful to President Trump for putting American workers first by nominating Rep. Chavez-DeRemer.”The AFL–CIO, however, was not as welcoming to Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination, saying that ultimately it is Mr. Trump who will dictate administration labor policy. They also named the infamous Project 2025 as a reason to be skeptical of the administration’s support for labor unions. “Lori Chavez-DeRemer has built a pro-labor record in Congress, including as one of only three Republicans to cosponsor the Protecting The Right To Organize (PRO) Act and one of eight Republicans to cosponsor the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act,” the AFL–CIO said. “But Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United States — not Rep. Chavez-DeRemer.”“The AFL-CIO will work with anyone who wants to do right by workers, but we will reject and defeat any attempt to roll back the rights and protections that working people have won with decades of blood, sweat, and tears,” the union said of Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination. “You can stand with working people, or you can stand with Project 2025, but you can’t stand with both.”

Trump’s Labor Nominee at Risk of Losing Committee Vote Without Democrats’ Support

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