Special Poll
Trump’s Labor Secretary Pick Raises Concerns Among Business Leaders
President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) as Secretary of Labor has sparked mixed reactions, with organized labor expressing optimism while business groups voice apprehension.
Chavez-DeRemer’s selection highlights the growing influence of labor issues, especially after working-class voters played a significant role in securing Trump’s victory. Her nomination reflects a potential shift in the GOP’s approach to labor policy.
Chavez-DeRemer, who recently lost her reelection bid in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, is one of the few Republicans in Congress who supported the PRO Act. This proposed labor law aims to strengthen worker organizing rights and address challenges in the gig economy. While the current Republican-led Congress is unlikely to advance the PRO Act, placing one of its rare Republican supporters at the helm of the Labor Department is an unusual move that has caught the attention of labor experts.
Labor advocates have welcomed the pick cautiously, viewing it as a potential opportunity for collaboration. However, the AFL-CIO, one of the largest labor federations in the U.S., remains skeptical, calling out the broader Trump administration as “dramatically anti-worker.”
“Donald Trump is the President-elect, not Rep. Chavez-DeRemer,” the AFL-CIO noted in a statement. “It remains to be seen what authority she will truly have in an administration with policies that largely oppose worker rights.”
Business groups, on the other hand, are concerned that Chavez-DeRemer’s history of supporting worker-friendly policies may lead to challenges for employers, particularly in industries reliant on gig workers and flexible labor arrangements.
Her nomination signals a potential realignment within Republican labor policy, but its true impact will depend on how much influence Chavez-DeRemer is allowed to wield under the Trump administration. Both supporters and critics are closely watching how her leadership at the Labor Department unfolds.