Senate to vote today on Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation as labor secretary

Washington — The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on former GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination to lead the Labor Department under President Trump.

Chavez-DeRemer served one two-year term in the House, becoming the first Republican woman elected to represent Oregon in Congress. Mr. Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary after she lost her reelection bid in November, and her confirmation vote comes as nearly all of the president’s Cabinet nominees have been approved by the Senate.

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

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 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, Chavez-DeRemer was expected to see bipartisan support Monday.

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.