Lori Chavez-DeRemer is Donald Trump's (R) announced nominee for secretary of Labor in his second presidential term. In a November 22, 2024, announcement, Trump said, "I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs." This appointment requires Senate confirmation. Chavez-DeRemer received her bachelor's in business administration from California State University-Fresno in 1990.
Before entering politics, she ran several medical clinics across the Pacific Northwest. She began her career in public service on the Happy Valley Parks Committee in 2002 and was elected Mayor of Happy Valley in 2010.
She served in that position until 2018. Chavez-DeRemer ran for Oregon House in both 2018 and 2016, losing to incumbent Janelle Bynum (D) 53.9%-45.8% and 51.0%-49.0%, respectively.
Chavez-DeRemer was elected to represent Oregon's 5th Congressional District in 2022, defeating incumbent Rep. Jamie McLeod-Skinner (D) 50.9% to 48.8%. Chavez-DeRemer lost her 2024 re-election bid to Bynum 47.7%-45.0%.
Read moreThe Oregon Capital Chronicle said of Chavez-DeRemer's time in Congress: "Chavez-DeRemer operated as a moderate Republican during her nearly two years in federal office, frequently citing an analysis [of bill sponsorships by Georgetown University’s Lugar Center] that rated her the second-most bipartisan member of Congress. She also sought support from unions, garnering endorsements from more than 20 of them.
Most of those endorsements came from small local unions, though she received the sole endorsement of Teamsters Joint Council No. 37." The Atlantic's Russell Berman wrote, "Trump’s selection of Chavez-DeRemer for labor secretary came as a pleasant surprise to many Democrats and union leaders .
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she was one of just three House Republicans to co-sponsor the labor movement’s top legislative priority: a bill known as the PRO Act, which would make unionizing easier and expand labor protections for union members."
The secretary leads the U.S. Department of Labor. According to the department's website, it is "administers and enforces more than 180 federal laws.
These mandates and the regulations that implement them cover many workplace activities for about 165 million workers and 11 million workplaces. .
. .
many of DOL's principal statutes [are] most commonly applicable to businesses, job seekers, workers, retirees, contractors and grantees."
Lori Chavez-DeRemer was born in Hanford, California, and lived in Happy Valley, Oregon. Chavez-DeRemer received a bachelor's in business administration from California State University-Fresno in 1990. Her career experience includes running several medical clinics throughout the Pacific Northwest alongside her husband. She served on the Happy Valley parks committee and the Happy Valley City Council before serving as mayor of Happy Valley from 2010 to 2018.
