Watch: Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s Labor Secretary confirmation hearing Wednesday morning
By Jared Cowley, KGW
PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW/KTVZ) — The Senate confirmation hearing for former Oregon Republican congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer is set for 7 a.m. PT on Wednesday, delayed a week by last week's snowstorm.
You can watch the live stream of the hearing here: https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/nomination-of-lori-m-chavez-deremer-to-serve-as-secretary-of-labor
Chavez-DeRemer, who was nominated last November by President Donald Trump to be labor secretary, goes before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Chavez-DeRemer lost her bid for reelection last year for Oregon's 5th Congressional District to Janelle Bynum in a close race that became one of the most expensive in the state and one of the most watched in the country.
During her campaign, Chavez-DeRemer attracted a large amount of labor support. She was one of only three House Republicans to co-sponsor a version of the PRO Act, which would expand labor protections.
The outcome of the 2024 election was very close; Bynum took an early lead on election night, but the margin was narrow, and the race was considered too close to call until three days later.
If Chavez-DeRemer is confirmed as labor secretary, she would oversee the Department of Labor's workforce and budget and put forth priorities that affect workers' wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employers' rights to fire employees, among other responsibilities.
Jim Moore, a politics professor at Pacific University, told KGW in November that Chavez-DeRemer's nomination was a "big deal" and could be used a political stepping stone.
"If Chavez-DeRemer plays this right, she could come back and be the first Republican (in Oregon) in a while to have a chance to win a governorship, or when Ron Wyden or Jeff Merkley retires, to win a Senate seat. If she doesn't, this is the cap of her political career," he said.
KGW reporters Anthony Macuk, Katherine Cook, Amy-Xiaoshi DePaola and The Associated Press contributed to this article.
