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.”
GOP leadership also supported Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination, according to the outlet.
“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.
She married her high school sweetheart, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, who is an anaesthesiologist.
The Trump-Vance transition team did not reply for comment at the time of publication.
