President-elect Donald Trump on Friday threw a curveball to business-friendly conservatives by announcing Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon as his pick to serve as the next secretary of the Department of Labor.
A favorite of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, Chavez-DeRemer is considered one of the most labor-friendly Republicans in Washington – and one of the few GOP members of Congress to co-sponsor the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, legislation stuck in committee that would gut right-to-work laws in nearly 30 states and make it easier for workers to unionize. Its companion bill in the Senate was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the progressive firebrand from Vermont.
“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.
O’Brien on Friday night praised the pick and said in a post on X the Teamsters are “ready to work with (Chavez-DeRemer) every step of the way to expand good union jobs and rebuild our nation’s middle class.”
He also took a victory lap of sorts, following his controversial decision to speak at the Republican National Convention this summer and his union’s decision not to endorse in the presidential race.
“Nearly a year ago, you joined us for a (Teamsters) roundtable and pledged to listen to workers and find common ground to protect and respect labor in America,” O’Brien said of Trump. “You put words into action. Now let’s grow wages and improve working conditions nationwide.”
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat whose vote could be crucial in confirming Trump’s nominee, touted Chavez-DeRemer’s record.
“As an original author of the PRO Act, I’m glad to see Representative Chavez-DeRemer is a cosponsor of the bill I wrote with Representative (Bobby) Scott,” Murray said in a statement. “I look forward to carefully evaluating Representative Chavez-DeRemer’s qualifications leading up to her hearing and a thorough vetting process.”
Chavez-DeRemer lost reelection to Oregon’s 5th District earlier this month.
She was first elected to the House in 2022, helping Republican women set a record in Congress at the time and becoming one of the first two Latinas to represent Oregon. The former mayor of Happy Valley, in suburban Portland, she and her husband founded an anesthesia management company.
The Department of Labor oversees, among other things, worker-protection programs, enforces labor standards and ensures compliance of overtime laws. Under the new Trump administration, the agency is still expected take on a more business-friendly agenda, but the president-elect’s pick to lead it has already provoked angry responses from conservative groups like Americans for Prosperity.
AFP’s vice president for government affairs Akash Chougule was among the most prominent conservative voices to condemn the nomination – and urge Senate Republicans to spike it.
“Trump’s record on labor policy was so strong and he didn’t flip on a single labor issue yet still improved with union voters,” Chougule posted on X. “He completely undid that and undermined his own agenda and movement by picking a teachers union hack for Labor. Senate GOP should reject this nomination.”
Chavez-DeRemer could have broad support among Democrats – and from unions typically aligned with the party.
The National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers union, immediately signaled their support for Chavez-Deremer.
“During her time in Congress, Lori Chavez-DeRemer voted against gutting the Department of Education, against school vouchers, and against cuts to education funding. She cosponsored the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, the PRO Act, and other pro-student, pro-public school, pro-worker legislation,” NEA President Becky Pringle said in a statement, adding that Chavez-DeRemer’s profile “stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s anti-worker, anti-union record.”
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who had signaled her support earlier in the week, also cheered the decision.
“It is significant that the Pres-elect nominated Rep. Chavez-DeRemer for Labor. Her record suggests real support of workers & their right to unionize,” Weingarten said on X. “I hope it means the Trump admin will actually respect collective bargaining and workers’ voices from Teamsters to teachers.”
President Joe Biden’s Department of Labor was first headed by Marty Walsh, a former union boss and mayor of Boston. Julie Su, a civil rights lawyer, has served as acting secretary of the department since Walsh left in 2023 to take on a role at the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
During Trump’s first term, Alexander Acosta served as labor secretary for the first two years. He was named when Trump’s first pick, Andy Puzder, the then-CEO of the company that owns the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. fast food chains, withdrew his nomination after facing challenges to his Senate confirmation.
Acosta, a previous member of the National Labor Relations Board, resigned after facing criticism about his role negotiating the 2008 plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein as the US attorney in Miami. Acosta was replaced as labor secretary by Eugene Scalia, the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who served during the remainder of Trump’s first term.
This story has been updated with additional details.