Senate confirms Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary in bipartisan vote

Washington — Democrats joined Republicans Monday in voting to confirm former GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary, one of the final members of President Trump’s Cabinet to win the upper chamber’s approval.

Her nomination passed the Senate in a 67 to 32 vote, with over a dozen Democrats backing her confirmation. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mitch McConnell and Ted Budd were the only Republicans to oppose her. Chavez-DeRemer served one two-year term in Congress, becoming the first Republican woman elected to Congress in Oregon. Mr. Trump nominated her as labor secretary after she lost her reelection bid in November. 

With a history of support for pro-labor policies, Chavez-DeRemer’s path to confirmation once appeared threatened. Paul openly opposed her nomination and predicted in January that she’d lose more than a dozen Republican votes. But her confirmation was approved with support on both sides of the aisle Monday. 

Chavez-DeRemer was one of only three Republicans who supported the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, a bill that would have made it easier for workers to unionize that was introduced in the last Congress. During her confirmation hearing last month, Chavez-DeRemer addressed her prior support for the bill, saying it was “imperfect,” while at the same time backing right-to-work laws that allow workers to choose whether or not to join a union. 

Though Paul’s opposition threatened to tank Chavez-DeRemer’s advancement out of committee last month, three Democrats on the committee ultimately voted to move her nomination forward. And although Democrats haven’t been eager to support some of Mr. Trump’s nominees amid intense criticism of the administration’s work so far, they didn’t mount serious opposition to Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation.

Monday’s confirmation vote comes after Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination cleared a procedural hurdle in a 66-30 vote last week, with 15 Democrats voting with all present Republicans except Paul to advance her nomination. 

Though some of her previous views may have conflicted with the administration, Chavez-DeRemer committed during her confirmation hearing to implementing Mr. Trump’s policy vision.

“My guiding principle will be President Trump’s guiding principle — ensuring a level playing field for businesses, unions and, most importantly, the American worker,” she said.