On March 10, the Senate voted to confirm former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) to be Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL). The 67 to 32 vote was bipartisan and included some GOP opposition as well as some Democratic support.

Chavez-DeRemer is widely viewed as loyal to President Trump, but generally a moderate Republican. She cosponsored the union-friendly PRO Act during her one-term tenure in Congress, but disavowed support for that bill during her confirmation hearing. She said her job at DOL would be to promote President Trump’s policies.

Generally, labor interests welcomed her nomination while business interests expressed concern. President Trump said his decision to nominate her came due to the robust union support he got during the presidential campaign. He said “it would be nice” to do something to thank labor.

Prospects: Most Washington insiders in the labor world think Chavez-DeRemer will have less influence over labor policy than her likely chief deputy, Keith Sonderling. Sonderling is widely expected to oversee DOL’s policy portfolio.

NAIFA Staff Contact: Jayne Fitzgerald – Director – Government Relations, at jfitzgerald@naifa.org.