President-elect Trump has nominated a “toxic” anti-conservative RINO with union ties to be secretary of labor, outraged critics told The Post on Saturday.
During her single term on The Hill, Rep. Lori Chavez Delemer (R-Ore.) pushed back on long-standing Republican orthodoxies, including increased labor union efforts to organize the private sector and amnesty. has supported a vast list of contradictory boilerplate liberal policies. He defends illegal immigration and the expansion of public employee unions.
“The signaling effect of this nomination alone suggests that the Trump administration is not serious about deregulation and economic growth,” Ken Girardin, a labor expert at the conservative Empire Center for Public Policy, told the Post. spoke.
One of the biggest red flags for critics is the fact that Chavez Delemer was one of only three House Republicans to co-sponsor the radical, union-backed PRO Act.
The bill, which failed to pass the House in 2023, would ban right-to-work laws that allow employees to choose to pay union dues in more than 20 states. It decimated the gig economy by restricting the classification of independent contractors. and forced employers to hand over workers' personal information.
“In this woman's America, every worker would have a boss and have to pay to a union for the privilege of working,” said Grover Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform. he says.
“This is an outrage. This is not that bad. This is a big thing she voted for.”
Teamsters President Sean O'Brien met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in January and spoke at the Republican National Convention, despite not endorsing Trump in the 2024 White House race. – pushed Chavez Delemer to win a Cabinet post in Trumpworld. said an insider.
“Sean O'Brien of the Teamsters did it,” the source said. “Mr. Trump and Mr. O'Brien are closer together than people realize.”
Union support was a key factor in Trump's victory in November's election. Despite the Teamsters refusing to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, An internal poll conducted by the union found that nearly 60% of rank-and-file members nationwide support Mr. Trump.
“Ordinary workers were an important part of his coalition, but I don't think so.” [Chavez-DeRemer] It's totally fine. People are very worried about her,” said a source close to President Trump. “Businesses aren't going to like her, the chamber of commerce isn't going to like her. This wasn't a great promise.”
Following his nomination, O'Brien on Friday thanked President Trump for “putting American workers first by nominating Congresswoman Lori Chavez Delemer to serve as Secretary of Labor.”
“Almost a year ago, you joined us. [Teamsters] “I committed to attending the roundtable, listening to the voices of workers, and finding common ground to protect and respect American labor,” he continued. “You put your words into action. Now let's raise wages and improve working conditions across the country.”
Randi Weingarten, president of the Left-Handed Teachers Union, also supported the selection. What to say with X She hoped that “it means the Trump administration will actually respect collective bargaining and the voices of workers, from Teamsters to teachers.”
Chavez Delemer, 56, narrowly lost re-election to Democrat Janelle Bynum, but was nominated by House Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and the majority party, to be nominated for Secretary of Labor. We have full support. Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).
Republican insiders have warned that her pro-union issues are sure to complicate Senate confirmation.
“There will be a lot of Republicans who can't vote because this is harmful to them,” the official said. “Anti-rights to work. That's toxic to so many Republicans.”
