Tipsheet

We Might Have a Problem With Trump's Labor Secretary Nominee

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  November 22, 2024 8:30 PM

No one bats 1.000, and President-elect Donald J. Trump has made a whopper of a pick for labor secretary. He tapped Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), reportedly pushed hard by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The reaction to this nomination has not been good, as Chavez-DeRemer voted for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), which puts right-to-work laws in the crosshairs (via Politico): 

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) is in the mix to be Trump’s Labor secretary and, notably, has the backing of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, according to three people familiar with the conversations granted anonymity to share private discussions. 

O’Brien is privately raising Chavez-DeRemer’s name as a top pick for the role. GOP leaders on Capitol Hill have also advocated for Chavez-DeRemer for the job directly with President-elect Donald Trump and his team, according to another person familiar with the matter. 

Kara Deniz, a Teamsters spokesperson, confirmed that O’Brien supports Chavez-DeRemer for the role, saying “we think she would be an excellent choice.” 

For now, Trump stands by his nominee, but this isn’t a good pick:

I am proud to hereby nominate Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, from the Great State of Oregon, as United States Secretary of Labor. Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America. 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. 

Lori’s strong support from both the Business and Labor communities will ensure that the Labor Department can unite Americans of all backgrounds behind our Agenda for unprecedented National Success - Making America Richer, Wealthier, Stronger and more Prosperous than ever before! 

Lori Chavez-DeRemer Biography:

Lori Chavez-DeRemer started her public service career in 2002 on the Happy Valley Parks Committee, where she helped build the Happy Valley 4th of July Festival that it is today. Later, she won a seat on the Happy Valley City Council, and became City Council President. She was elected Mayor in 2010, becoming Happy Valley’s first female and Latina Mayor. She was re-elected in 2014. In 2022, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, which covers Linn County, most of Clackamas County, Deschutes County, and parts of Multnomah and Marion Counties. She is one of the first Latinas and is the first Republican woman elected to Congress from the state of Oregon. 

Lori is a mom and small businesswoman. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Dr. Shawn DeRemer. Later they founded an anesthesia management company, and opened several other medical clinics in the Pacific Northwest. Lori and Shawn are parents of twin daughters who are making their own footprints in the world. Annie works as a senior recruiter for Anesthesia Associates Northwest, while Emilie is an assistant public defender in Michigan.

Red flag alert: Randi Weingarten likes this nomination.