Trump labor secretary nominee faces some GOP skepticism ahead of her hearing
A Republican-led Senate committee is slated to hold a hearing Wednesday on President Donald Trump's nominee for labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
WASHINGTON — A Republican-led Senate committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Chavez-DeRemer, a former congresswoman from Oregon who served one term, is an unconventional pick for a GOP president. She supported a bill called the PRO Act, a top priority of labor unions, and is endorsed by the Teamsters Union.
“Working people need someone with her experience leading the agency that is tasked with protecting workers, creating good union jobs, and rebuilding our nation’s middle class,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, who spoke at the Republican National Convention last year, said in a statement. “The Teamsters are grateful to President Trump for putting American workers first by nominating Rep. Chavez-DeRemer to this important role.”
That profile has landed her in hot water with multiple Senate Republicans, who strongly oppose the PRO Act and have cast wary eyes on Trump’s choice.“I’m not going to support her,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told NBC News in late January. “I’m the national spokesman and lead author of the right-to-work bill. Her support for the PRO Act, which would not only oppose national right to work but would pre-empt state law on right to work — I think it’s not a good thing.”
Paul predicted last month that she will lose 15 Republican votes. He is on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is holding Wednesday’s hearing. The GOP has an 11-10 majority on the panel, which means that if Paul votes against her, Chavez-DeRemer would need Democratic votes to get a favorable committee vote.
Rating: 5