Lori Chavez-DeRemer attends a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on her nomination for Secretary of Labor, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
In her Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, said she would support the administration’s agenda and follow the Republican party’s initiative “to fight for the American worker.”
At the same time, the Republican evaded questions from Senate Democrats on a variety of issues, like billionaire Elon Musk’s role as a government liaison, raising the federal minimum wage and Trump’s decision to fire the acting chair of the National Labor Relations Board, leaving the labor watchdog unable to form a quorum.
Chavez-DeRemer served one term in Congress, representing Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, which stretches from the Portland suburbs south to Albany and east to Bend.
After campaigning as a moderate, she lost in the November general election to her Democratic rival, Janelle Bynum, in a high-profile matchup that featured millions of dollars and the backing of some of the nation’s most powerful politicians.
Now the former Happy Valley mayor appears on the cusp of being appointed to the Cabinet position. If confirmed, she’d oversee the Labor Department’s nearly 16,000 employees, its $13.9 billion proposed budget, and the rights and benefits of America’s businesses, workers and unions.
Here are some key moments from Wednesday’s hearing:
Chavez-DeRemer breezes through hearing
Despite some pointed questions, Republicans largely supported Chavez-DeRemer during the two-hour hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, all but casting away prior indications that party members were hesitant to confirm a nominee with a history of backing pro-union policies.
And although Democrats grilled Chavez-DeRemer and noted that she dodged questions, party members weren’t as openly hostile with her as they were when questioning Trump’s other high-profile nominees.
Democrats criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal workforce, but some said they looked forward to working with Chavez-DeRemer, who endorsed Trump in last year’s general election.
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., spoke of planning future trips with Chavez-DeRemer in his state. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in his opening remarks that Chavez-DeRemer’s record on labor issues was “very good.”
“If you are confirmed, and I’m assuming you will be, I commit to working in support of all workers and I hope you will work with me to stand up to President Trump when he takes actions that harm American workers,” Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said:
A small business owner whose father was a member of the Teamsters union, Chavez-DeRemer has received political support from large business and labor groups, and her supporters say has a balanced view of the needs of businesses, their employees and unions. Her confirmation would represent a shift for the GOP as it opens up to unions the party has historically opposed.
Related: Senators question labor nominee Chavez-DeRemer’s allegiance in confirmation hearing
Chavez-DeRemer’s prior stances
Prior to the hearing, Republicans criticized Chavez-DeRemer because she backed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a bill aimed at making it easier for federal workers to unionize and bargain for better pay, benefits and working conditions, which has not passed.
Some Republicans, like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., previously said they planned to oppose Chavez-DeRemer because of this, making it likely that she would need Democratic approval.
On Wednesday, Chavez-DeRemer described the legislation as “imperfect,” but wouldn’t say directly whether she supports it now because she claims that’s an issue for Congress, not the labor secretary.
Asked by Paul about if she no longer supports a part of the bill that he claims would overturn “right-to-work” laws, Chavez-DeRemer initially responded, “Yeah.” Then, Paul interrupted her.
“That’s a yes?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
Last week, Chavez-DeRemer, who campaigned as a moderate on abortion in Oregon, where abortion is legal, faced an additional challenge when NBC News reported that she worked at a Planned Parenthood in her 20s. But on Wednesday, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., was direct: “[Are] you pro-life or pro-choice?”
“I am supportive of the president’s agenda,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “I have a 100% pro-life voting record in Congress, and I will continue to support the America-first agenda, which we know includes life.”
“Good answer,” Tuberville said.
Musk looms large
Democrats on the committee consistently brought up Elon Musk’s influence on federal agencies like the Department of Labor.
The world’s richest man and leader of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk has the party’s ire due to his actions as the appointed head of a cost-cutting initiative the Trump administration calls the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
While his companies face workplace safety investigations from federal regulators, Musk’s team has sought access to the Department of Labor’s information system.
In one of the hearing’s most heated moments, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who introduced the PRO Act, pressed Chavez-DeRemer on whether it would be appropriate for Musk to access information about the investigations into his companies.
As she did multiple times during the hearing, Chavez-DeRemer said she has not been formally briefed on the situation.
“You’re not answering the question,” said Murray.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., brought up the issue again, noting that Musk, who donated millions of dollars toward Trump’s campaign, has “a direct interest in getting information about the seriousness of those investigations.”
“It seems like a pretty simple commitment to make, to say, I am not going to give any private company exclusive access to information about open investigations against them or their competitors,” Murphy said. “Why can’t you just make that commitment to us?”
Chavez-DeRemer responded by saying President Trump has the power to exercise his executive authority “as he sees fit.” She added that she was not an attorney and, if appointed, would consult legal counsel.
“I don’t think you need to be an attorney to understand that giving access to a company to sensitive data about labor violations at their company, or a competitor’s company, is deeply unethical,” Murphy said.
Related: The Latest: Labor nominee Chavez-DeRemer faces questions from senators
Questioned on minimum wage, paid leave
Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate committee, began his opening remarks by decrying national income inequality as wages are failing to keep pace with rising costs.
“Will you be a rubber stamp for the anti-worker agenda of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other multibillionaires who are blatantly anti-union, they don’t make any bones about it, or will you stand with working families all over the country?” Sanders said.
But when Sanders asked if she would support raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour, Chavez-DeRemer demurred.
“Ranking member Sanders, you know that that is an issue for Congress to determine,” said Chavez-DeRemer.
She said she could not weigh in, but acknowledged that the federal minimum wage has not changed since 2009, despite the increased cost of living nationwide.
“For instance, in Oregon, I know that in Portland, Oregon, the minimum wage is almost $16 an hour. That might work for Portland, but that’s not going to work for Grants Pass, Oregon,” said Chavez-DeRemer, who served as the mayor of Happy Valley.
Oregon has different minimum wages for urban and non-urban areas of the state. Grants Pass’ minimum wage is $14.70 per hour, while Happy Valley’s is $15.94 per hour.
Later, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asked if she thought the federal minimum wage was enough for a person to live comfortably, and if Americans should be entitled to paid leave.
Repeatedly, Chavez-DeRemer did not answer directly, but said she looked forward to working with Congress on the issue.
“My vision for the American worker is to achieve the American dream,” she said.
“I understand that, but is a part of the American dream paid leave for all workers?” Kim asked.
“Again, I cannot commit to you today that I would say 100% paid leave across the board is something that should be taken up by the federal government independent of states,” said Chavez-DeRemer. She added that in the “state of Oregon, they choose to do that, respective of other states.”
If approved, Chavez-DeRemer would be the latest Oregonian to become a member of a presidential cabinet.
Gordon Sondland, a hotelier, served as ambassador to the European Union during Trump’s first term. The late Neil Goldschmidt, the disgraced former Portland mayor and Oregon governor, was transportation secretary under President Jimmy Carter.
