President-elect Donald Trump selected Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) on Friday to serve as his secretary of labor.
“Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America,” Trump announced on Truth Social.
“I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for America Worker, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs,” he added.
Chavez-DeRemer hails from Oregon’s 5th District, where the one-term congresswoman narrowly lost her reelection bid to Democrat Janelle Bynum on Nov. 5.
The former mayor of Happy Valley, Ore., lost bids to enter Congress in 2016 and 2018 — finally nabbing her briefly held office in the 2022 primary elections.
While in the House, Chavez-DeRemer, 56, served on the Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
The Teamsters Union threw its hefty support behind Chavez-DeRemer for the Labor post.
President Sean O’Brien — who spoke at the Republican National Convention in July — gave the Oregon Republican his full support behind closed doors in the last week, Politico reported, adding that a spokesperson said, “We think she would be an excellent choice.”
In a social media post, O’Brien thanked Trump “for putting American workers first by nominating Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer for US Labor Secretary.”
“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,” he continued. “You put words into action. Now let’s grow wages and improve working conditions nationwide.”
O’Brien added that his union is “ready to work with” Chavez-DeRemer “every step of the way to expand good union jobs and rebuild our nation’s middle class.”
The Teamsters union did not endorse a presidential candidate ahead of the 2024 election.
GOP leadership also supported Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination, according to the outlet.
Trump’s pick also received praise from the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Associations.
“It is significant that the Pres-elect nominated Rep. Chavez-DeRemer for Labor,” AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote on X.
“Her record suggests real support of workers & their right to unionize,” she added. “I hope it means the Trump admin will actually respect collective bargaining and workers’ voices from Teamsters to teachers.”
NEA President Becky Pringle noted that in Congress, Chavez-DeRemer “voted against gutting the Department of Education, against school vouchers, and against cuts to education funding” and that she cosponsored the PRO Act “and other pro-student, pro-public school, pro-worker legislation.”
“Educators and working families across the nation will be watching Lori Chavez-DeRemer as she moves through the confirmation process and hope to hear a pledge from her to continue to stand up for workers and students as her record suggests, not blind loyalty to the Project 2025 agenda,” Pringle added, referencing the Heritage Foundation policy blueprint that Trump has repeatedly disavowed.
Both the AFT and NEA backed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 race.
“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 wrote on Truth Social.
Chavez-DeRemer is a mother of two, a small businesswoman and a dedicated public servant who started with the Happy Valley Parks Committee in 2002, according to the president-elect’s post.
