The nominee was pressed on her legislative record and loyalty to the Constitution.
Right-to-work laws, visa programs, and the federal minimum wage were among the topics on senators’ minds as they vetted former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) for the role of labor secretary on Feb. 19.
Chavez-DeRemer, 56, represented Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District for one term before losing her reelection bid to Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) last November. Trump nominated her for labor secretary later that month.
It was an atypical pick for a Republican, given the former congresswoman’s co-sponsorship of the pro-union Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023. The bill sought to expand protections for union workers and independent contractors while weakening states’ right-to-work laws, which allow employees to opt out of union membership.
Trump, who courted union support while on the campaign trail, praised Chavez-DeRemer as having “worked tirelessly with both business and labor to build America’s workforce and support the hardworking men and women of America.”
While Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee grilled the nominee on her previous union support, the question she fielded most from Democrats was whether she was willing to defy the man who appointed her.
Here are a few key takeaways from her responses to those and other questions.
Putting American Workers First
Chavez-DeRemer opened her remarks by noting the surge in blue-collar support that Republicans have enjoyed under Trump’s leadership.
“President Trump has united a new coalition of working-class Americans like never before, with 59.6 percent of Teamsters backing him, historic support from African American and Latino voters, and record-breaking turnout in once solid-blue cities and states,” she said.
“Americans are speaking loud and clear. They are calling for action, progress, and leadership that puts the American worker first.”
Chavez-DeRemer said that would be her goal if she is confirmed as labor secretary.
Citing her background as the source of her dedication to uplifting American workers, the nominee noted that she is the daughter of “a proud Teamster,” her father, who worked in a creamery. She also pointed to her experience as a small business owner, former congresswoman, and the former mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, as insightful to her perspective on labor.
“In every role, my priority has been clear: to fight for the American worker and the businesses that drive our economy,” she said.
To rebuild American confidence in the workforce, Chavez-DeRemer said the country must invest in alternative educational pathways to the traditional four-year degree. She later elaborated that those pathways may include apprenticeships or certificate-based programs.
“This shouldn’t be a party issue. … That’s why I’ve always worked across the aisle. Because the American worker, we don’t know what their party is, but we know that it matters to them to protect their families,” she said.
Visa Work Programs
While Chavez-DeRemer stressed that American workers were her priority, she also avowed support for the H-1B visa program that allows foreigners to fill specialty positions in the United States.
“Certainly, we never want to replace the American worker. We want to make sure that we’re investing in the American worker and they have the skills needed for the high-tech industry,” she said.
She noted, however, that many senators had voiced concerns to her over the continuation of the H-1B program—a subject that has divided Republicans in recent weeks given the Trump administration’s focus on putting “America First.”
Chavez-DeRemer said Congress would ultimately decide how many H-1B visas are made available to foreign workers. She added, though, that she would “test the market” and work with the relevant agencies to determine where those visas are most needed “once we’ve exhausted all other programs.”
The nominee was also asked about her position on the H-2B visa program, which allows certain U.S. employers to fill temporary non-agricultural roles with foreign workers.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) noted that their states heavily rely on seasonal H-2B workers and asked Chavez-DeRemer if she would support the program and work on exempting certain roles from the visa caps.
“You can’t get an H-2B visa until you have demonstrated all the efforts that you have made to seek U.S. workers and that none are coming to you,” Murkowski said, asking for an assurance that Chavez-DeRemer would work with her on that issue.
The nominee responded in the affirmative.
PRO Act Support
In her opening statement, Chavez-DeRemer acknowledged that she had received many questions about her support for the PRO Act.
Distancing herself from the legislation, she said the bill was born out of her responsibility to represent the interests of her constituents.
“I recognize that that bill wasn’t perfect, and I also recognize that I’m no longer representing Oregon as a lawmaker. If confirmed, my job will be to implement President Trump’s policy division, and my guiding principle will be President Trump’s guiding principle: ensuring a level playing field for businesses, unions, and, most importantly, the American worker.”
Several Republicans nonetheless expressed concern over Chavez-DeRemer’s support for the bill, which was largely panned by other Republicans.
“Workers should have the freedom to decide if they wish to join a union or not. The PRO Act would eliminate this freedom, allowing workers to be coerced and intimidated into unionization,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the committee’s chairman.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) likewise noted that the bill would have overturned right-to-work laws in dozens of states and asked Chavez-DeRemer to clarify whether she still supported it.
“I signed on to the PRO Act because I was representing Oregon’s Fifth District, but I also signed on to the PRO Act because I wanted to be at that table and have those conversations,” Chavez-DeRemer replied, adding that she fully supports “states who want to protect their right to work.”
“So, you no longer support the aspect of the PRO Act that would have overturned state right-to-work laws?” Paul pressed.
Chavez-DeRemer said that was correct.
Minimum Wage
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the committee’s top Democrat, asked Chavez-DeRemer if she would support raising the federal minimum wage, currently $7.25 an hour, to “a living wage.”
“As secretary of labor, I cannot weigh in on that. That’s determined by Congress,” she replied. “If they want to negotiate that, I will fully and fairly enforce the law as the labor secretary, if you all so choose, and give you whatever data possible to make that decision.”
Sanders then asked if she would support raising the minimum wage if she were in his shoes.
While Chavez-DeRemer acknowledged that the federal minimum wage hasn’t increased since 2009 and that the cost of living has climbed, she again stressed that it was not her decision to make.
“I will enforce the law, but it will be up to Congress to determine because that is not in the purview of the secretary of labor,” she said.
Following the Law
Sanders was one of many Democrats to ask Chavez-DeRemer whether she would obey an order from the president that she found to be unethical or unconstitutional.
“This is a very unusual administration. In my view, we are moving toward an authoritarian society where one person has enormous power,” Sanders said in his opening statement.
“Will you have the courage to say, ‘Mr. President, that’s unconstitutional. That’s wrong. I will not stand with you’?”
Others later echoed that same question, including Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
Pointing to the uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze, Murray asked the nominee if she would “follow the law” as it relates to funds appropriated by Congress.
“I will follow the law and the Constitution,” Chavez-DeRemer replied.
Murray continued to press her on what she would do if ordered to “violate appropriations laws and withhold funding for workers.”
“I will commit to following the law, and I do not believe the president would ever ask me to break the law,” Chavez-DeRemer said.
Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.