To recommend Lori Chavez-DeRemers’ confirmation as U.S. labor secretary to the entire Senate, members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions voted 13–9 on Thursday.
Three of the committee’s Democrats voted in favor of Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican who served one term as the representative for Oregon in Congress and is seen as relatively pro-labor, while one Republican voted against him.
To express their disapproval of Trump’s administration’s extensive attempts to restructure the American government, a number of Democratic senators have declared that they would oppose all of his remaining cabinet appointments.
Elon Musk will be the future secretary of the Treasury, the next secretary of labor, the next secretary of education, and the next secretary of housing. Prior to Thursday’s vote, Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, the committee’s leading member, stated, “Let’s understand that reality and not play along with this charade.” Does anyone in this room genuinely believe that any secretary of education or labor will decide on their own?
Senators John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Tim Kaine of Virginia were among the Democrats who voted in favor of her confirmation. The only Republican on the committee to vote against it was Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Republican senators questioned Chavez-DeRemer about her prior support in Congress for pro-union legislation at her confirmation hearing on February 19. Chavez-DeRemer’s co-sponsorship of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act has raised concerns among business owners, according to Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and the committee’s chair.
The PRO Act would have made it simpler for employees to form unions and punished companies who obstructed that process, but it was never put to a vote during her one tenure. Chavez-DeRemer did not respond with a yes or no when Cassidy asked if she still supported the proposal.
The secretary of labor shouldn’t draft the laws, in my opinion. She stated that Congress would be responsible for drafting the legislation. She later declared her support for state right-to-work legislation, which permit workers to decline to join a union at work, during the hearing.
Republicans on the committee must have been pleased with the response. Businesses and unions support Representative Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination. Cassidy stated before to the committee’s vote of approval that, if approved, she has the chance to unite these two factions in order to ensure a better future for everybody.
The proposed fiscal year 2025 budget for the Department of Labor, which employs close to 16,000 full-time staff, is $13.9 billion. Chavez-DeRemer would oversee that workforce and budget if confirmed. In addition, she would establish priorities for pay, workplace safety and health, employee organizing rights, and company rights to terminate employees.
To prevent Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Labor Department data systems, which hold the financial and medical records of millions of Americans, including those who have lodged safety complaints against their employers, a group of labor unions and 14 Democratic states filed separate lawsuits this month.
The Health, Education, Labor & Pensions committee’s Democrats attempted to ascertain Chavez-DeRemer’s loyalties during her confirmation hearing. They asked if she will remain a worker advocate in an administration that is reducing the size and scope of the federal workforce, including through widespread layoffs.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., questioned if Chavez-DeRemer would prevent Musk or his aides from obtaining data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding rivals or labor problems. Numerous OSHA investigations are focused on Musk’s businesses.
She claimed that Trump had the right to make the choice. “If confirmed, I work for the President of the United States, and I will serve at the President’s pleasure on this issue,” she stated.
This report was co-compiled by The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Betsy Hammond and the Associated Press.
Betsy Hammond is in charge of reporting on Multnomah County, education, homelessness, Portland City Hall, and state politics and government. Her contact information is [email protected].
