The American Prospect: Labor Nominee Chavez-DeRemer: More Trump Loyalist Than Union Ally
A cursory look at her record reveals the standard contemporary GOP positions.
By HASSAN ALI KANU
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for labor secretary, Oregon Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has been portrayed as the rare pro-union Republican, but a quick review of her history as an elected representative reveals a more mixed record.
There are also indications that she will carry out the role, if confirmed, as a Trump loyalist, much as we’ve seen with the incoming administration’s other named nominees.
Chavez-DeRemer is the daughter of a Teamster union member, and the former mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon. She’s also a businesswoman, and founded a network of medical clinics along with her husband that brings in between $1 million and $5 million a year, according to her federal financial disclosures. Chavez-DeRemer lost her re-election race last month after serving one term in Congress.
She has generally beendescribed as a pro-worker Republican who diverges from the GOP’s usual exclusionary preference for employers and business interests in all labor matters. Most notably, reports have pointed out that Chavez-DeRemer is one of just three Republicans who co-sponsored the PRO Act, a proposed bill to expand and protect workers’ rights that has been roundly rejected by conservatives, big businesses, and virtually every other Republican member of Congress.