President Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary cleared a key vote before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Thursday morning after picking up Democratic support from Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer was reported favorably out of the committee by a bipartisan vote of 13-9.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., ultimately voted against her, despite her attempts to clarify her past support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act during her hearing. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, did not vote.
In addition to Hassan, Democratic Sens. John Hickenloopers, D-Colo., and Tim Kaines, D-Va., voted to advance Chavez-DeRemer.
Her history of PRO Act backing seemed to jeopardize her confirmation odds last week, when Paul said he would not vote for her if she continued to support it. Paul’s reluctance meant Chavez-DeRemer would likely need some Democrats’ support to pass the key confirmation hurdle.
Hassan’s support, as a Democrat on the HELP Committee, was a breakthrough for Chavez-DeRemer’s chances.
‘The Department of Labor plays an integral role in supporting workers and small businesses alike, and after hearing significant support from constituents, including members of labor unions in New Hampshire, I will support Representative Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination as Secretary of Labor,’ Hassan shared in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Hassan admitted that she ‘may not agree on everything’ with Chavez-DeRemer, but she is ‘qualified’ to serve and earned ‘significant support’ from New Hampshire voters.
‘Though we may not agree on everything, after meeting with Representative Chavez-DeRemer and listening to her testimony during her confirmation hearing, I believe that she is qualified to serve as the next secretary of labor, and I look forward to working with her to support New Hampshire’s workers and small businesses,’ Hassan added.
Chavez-DeRemer supported the PRO Act as a representative for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District but told senators during her confirmation hearing that she no longer supports overturning Republican-supported right-to-work laws under the PRO Act.
The PRO Act would effectively kill state-level laws that prevent employers and unions from requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of their employment. Republicans oppose the PRO Act for overturning right-to-work laws.
Chavez-DeRemer went into the committee vote without Paul’s voting plan publicly known. But, going in with Hassan’s support, Chavez-DeRemer was much less likely to be reliant on Paul to be reported favorably out of the committee.
‘If she wanted to make a public statement saying that her support for the PRO Act was incorrect and she no longer does, then I’d think about her nomination,’ Paul told Fox News Digital in a statement ahead of Chavez-DeRemer’s hearing.
‘So you no longer support the aspect of the PRO Act that would have overturned state right-to-work laws?’ Paul asked during the hearing.
‘Yes, sir,’ she replied.
Paul’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on how he would vote in committee, however.
Chavez-DeRemer testified before the HELP Committee on Feb. 19.
Once reported out of committee, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., can file a motion to end Senate floor debate on the nominee, triggering a later cloture vote. Once the debate is closed, senators will cast their final confirmation vote.
During her hearing, Chavez-DeRemer advocated for trade school investments to expand ‘educational pathways beyond the traditional four-year degree’ to strengthen the American workforce. She said she is committed to leveling the playing field for American businesses, workers and unions.
Chavez-DeRemer also thanked Trump and credited him with the ‘single greatest political achievement of our time’ in building a ‘new coalition of working-class Americans.’
‘President Trump has united a new coalition of working-class Americans like never before. With 59.6% of Teamsters backing him, historic support from African-American and Latino voters, and record-breaking turnout in once-solid blue cities and states, Americans are speaking loud and clear. They are calling for action, progress and leadership that puts the American worker first,’ Chavez-DeRemer said.
Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer for secretary of labor less than three weeks after he was elected president.
‘Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America,’ Trump wrote.
‘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. Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families,’ he added.
