The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate voted 67 to 32 to confirm Lori Chavez-DeRemer as President Donald Trump’s Labor secretary.
Trump picked Chavez-DeRemer for the job because her father was a Teamsters member, a sign that Trump is angling to break up the Democrats’ long-standing alliance with organized labor.
Sens. Tedd Budd (N.C.), Rand Paul (Ky.), and former GOP leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) were the only Republicans who spoke out against Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination. Seventeen Democrats backed her and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) did not vote.
By a vote of 14 to 9, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee agreed to nominate Chavez-DeRemer on February 27.
After Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted no, Chavez-DeRemer was the first well-known Trump nominee who needed support from Democrats to get through committee consideration.
The Democrats Maggie Hassan (N.H.), John Hickenlooper (Colo.), and Tim Kaine (Va.) voted “yes,” along with the other Republicans on the committee.
Paul’s opposition to the Pro Act is based on Chavez-DeRemer’s past support for it. The Pro Act would weaken states’ anti-union laws and give more power to organized workers.
Although most Republicans and the business lobby are against the bill, she was one of only three Republicans in the House who backed it during her one term.
Trump ran as a pro-worker and somewhat pro-labor candidate, but during his first term, he put people in charge of the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor who had a history of being against unions.
Thereafter, those agencies did things that were considered bad for workers, like limiting protections for overtime.
Sean O’Brien, president of the Teamsters, pushed for Chavez-DeRemer to be nominated.
“The Biden administration used its authority as a weapon against workers, threatening their ability to earn a living and provide for their families,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La), chairman of the HELP panel, said Monday.
“With President Trump back in office, we have an opportunity to enact a pro-America agenda at the Department of Labor that puts workers first,” he added.
