President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as his nominee to lead the Labor Department.
The Oregon House member who narrowly lost her reelection bid earlier this month received strong backing from union members in her district.
As a potential Labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce and its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health, safety and ability to unionize, and employers’ rights to fire employees, among other responsibilities.
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“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!” Trump said in a statement.
Sources had previously told CBS News that Chavez-DeRemer met with Trump Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, praised the selection in a social media post, writing that “North America’s strongest union is ready to work with you every step of the way to expand good union jobs and rebuild our nation’s middle class.”
The 56-year-old Chavez-DeRemer is one of a few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act that would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment.
