Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the pro-union Republican tapped by President Donald Trump for Labor secretary, testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Wednesday, fielding questions from senators about her support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.
Chavez-DeRemer supported the PRO Act as a representative for Oregon’s 5th congressional district. She told senators on Wednesday she no longer supports the aspect of the PRO Act that would have overturned Republican-backed Right-to-Work laws, which could earn her the favor of some Republican senators who were reluctant to confirm her nomination.
The PRO Act would effectively kill state-level laws that prevent employers and unions from requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of their employment. Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., opposed the PRO Act for overturning Right-to-Work laws. Paul said he would not support her if she continued to support the PRO Act.
“If she wanted to make a public statement saying that her support for the PRO Act was incorrect and she no longer does, then I’d think about her nomination,” Paul told Fox News Digital in a statement ahead of Chavez-DeRemer’s hearing.
As a member of the HELP committee, Paul had the opportunity to question Chavez-DeRemer about the PRO Act on Wednesday.
“So you no longer support the aspect of the PRO Act that would have overturned state Right-to-Work laws?” Paul asked during the hearing.
Chavez-DeRemer agreed she no longer supports the aspect of the PRO Act that would have overturned the state’s Right-to-Work laws, replying, “Yes, sir.”
“Like President Trump, I believe our labor laws need to be updated and modernized to reflect today’s workforce and the business environment,” Chavez-DeRemer said on Wednesday. “As a member of Congress, the PRO Act was the bill to have those conversations that mattered deeply to the people of Oregon’s 5th congressional district. I recognize that that bill was imperfect, and I also recognize that I am no longer representing Oregon as a lawmaker.”
“Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America,” Trump said. “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. Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.”
Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
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