The former congresswoman received bipartisan support despite facing scrutiny from both parties.
Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) will lead the Department of Labor as secretary after the Senate confirmed her nomination on March 10.
Chavez-DeRemer, 56, was approved in a 67–32 vote despite facing initial scrutiny from Republicans over her past union support and from Democrats who questioned her allegiances.
The former congresswoman served one term in the U.S. House before losing her reelection bid to Democrat Rep. Janelle Bynum last November. President Donald Trump nominated her for the role of labor secretary later that month.
During her confirmation hearing on Feb. 19, Chavez-DeRemer fielded tough questions from Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee about her co-sponsorship of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. The 2023 bill, which never received a vote, included a provision that would have overridden state right-to-work laws, which allow employees to opt out of union membership and dues.
Asked by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) if she still supported that provision, Chavez-DeRemer said she did not. She attributed her prior support for the bill to her duty to represent the interests of her constituents.
“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,” she said, adding that she fully supports “states who want to protect their right to work.”
Democrats pressed Chavez-DeRemer on whether she would defy President Donald Trump if he directed her to do something illegal or unethical.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, asked whether she would withhold funds allocated by Congress if instructed to do so.
“I do respect the Appropriations Committee. As a former member of Congress, I think everyone in this room who’s ever sat behind that dais can understand that,” Chavez-DeRemer said.
While she noted that the president has certain executive powers, she promised to “follow the law and the Constitution.” She also stressed that she did not believe Trump would ever ask her to break the law.
Chavez-DeRemer was also pressed by multiple Democrats on whether she would allow tech mogul Elon Musk, a senior adviser to Trump, and the Department of Government Efficiency to access information about ongoing Labor Department investigations into his companies’ practices.
“He has a direct interest in getting information about the seriousness of those investigations,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said. “He has interest in getting information about investigations against his competitors. It seems like a pretty simple commitment to make.”
Chavez-DeRemer noted that she had not yet been confirmed and was not privy to internal administration discussions about Musk’s data access. She also pointed out that the president has broad authority over executive branch operations.
“The president has the executive power to exercise it as he sees fit,” she said. “I am not the president of the United States. I work for the president of the United States, if confirmed, and I will serve at the pleasure of the president.”
Chavez-DeRemer was ultimately confirmed with bipartisan support.