Trump’s labor nominee backs away from support for PRO Act

Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer indicated during her Feb. 19 Senate confirmation hearing for Labor Secretary that she no longer supports the PRO Act.

Chavez-DeRemer represented Oregon’s 5th district from 2023 to 2025. She was one of only three House Republicans to cosponsor the PRO Act, a labor-backed bill that would make it easier for workers to unionize and impose stiff penalties on companies that try to prevent it.

Chavez-DeRemer’s support for the PRO Act has been a point of contention with Republican senators, who almost-unanimously oppose the legislation. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who sits on the labor committee, said he would likely oppose Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination, making her confirmation unlikely without some Democratic support.

But when Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) asked Chavez-DeRemer if she still supported the PRO Act, she said she only supported the bill for political reasons and would not take a position on it as Labor Secretary.

“I do not believe that the Secretary of Labor should write the laws,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “It will be up to Congress to write the laws and work together … But I was working for Oregon’s 5th congressional district and representing that. I just wanted to be at that table. I never want to be left out of a conversation where we can talk about the American worker and how important that is.”

Chavez-DeRemer added that the PRO Act was “imperfect.”

When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) later stated to Chavez-DeRemer that he no longer believed she supported the PRO Act, she did not rebut or dispute his claim.

Chavez-DeRemer ran for reelection to Congress in 2024 but lost to Democrat Janelle Bynum. President Donald Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer to be Labor Secretary on Nov. 22.

Some labor groups, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, praised Trump for nominating a pro-union candidate, despite the fact that many of his other cabinet picks and advisors have records of opposing workers’ rights.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, for example, supported Florida’s right-to-work laws, which prohibit requiring workers to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. Critics argue that right-to-work laws dilute union power and lead to poorer working conditions.

Vice President J.D. Vance has a 0% score from the AFL-CIO. The score is based on how many pro-worker votes Vance has cast since joining the Senate in 2023.

While Chavez-DeRemer’s reelection campaign was endorsed by some labor groups, it was not universal. She was backed by the Teamsters and the Association of Flight Attendants, while Bynum was endorsed by AFSME, AFL-CIO, SIEU, and the United Auto Workers.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.