Trump’s labor secretary pick Lori Chavez-DeRemer advances to final Senate vote 

Labor Secretary-designate Lori Chavez-DeRemer inched closer to Senate confirmation Thursday after lawmakers voted to end debate on her nomination. 

In a 66-30 vote, 15 Democratic senators signaled support for President Trump’s pick, as Chavez-DeRemer advanced to a final vote on her nomination – which is scheduled to take place on Monday. 

Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Gary Peters of Michigan, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Adam Schiff of California, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Mark Warner of Virginia, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island voted in favor of Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination. 

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican opposed to Trump’s labor pick. 

“In her public service, she’s put in the work to seek differing perspectives and to find common ground,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said of Chavez-DeRemer on the Senate floor Wednesday. 

“Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s mother would always tell her, and I quote, ‘When you know better, you do better,’” Thune added. “And we need the Labor Department to do better than what we saw from the Biden administration.” 

Chavez-DeRemer has faced some opposition from Republicans over her prior support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would have ended legal protections for employees at unionized workplaces who don’t wish to join a union or pay dues.

She was one of the three House GOP co-sponsors of the legislation, which was opposed by most Republicans over concerns that it would undo so-called “right-to-work” laws that shield employees from being forced to join a labor union.

Chavez-DeRemer walked back her support for the PRO Act during her confirmation hearing.

“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,” she told lawmakers on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Chavez-DeRemer was approved by the HELP Committee last week in a 14-9 vote. 

If Chavez-DeRemer is confirmed next week, Elise Stefanik – Trump’s pick to serve as ambassador to the United Nations – would become the only presidential Cabinet appointee still awaiting confirmation. 

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