TPA Opposes the Nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Secretary of Labor

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last Friday (November 22nd), President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention of nominating Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) as Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL) for the upcoming administration. Her record, especially her support for the PRO Act (which would harm independent contractors), indicates that her confirmation would lead the DOL to pursue more anti-worker, anti-innovation regulations that would further constrain a difficult job market.

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) calls on the President-elect to rescind this nomination and – barring that – for the Senate to oppose Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation.

David Williams, TPA President offered the following comment: “Confirming Rep. Chavez-DeRemer would be a grave mistake that would carry stiff consequences for consumers and businesses of all sizes. Her support for bills like the PRO Act highlights that she would continue to push for Biden-era regulations that have been clearly rejected. Her record as a pro-union, anti-worker congresswoman should be a sign of worry for American workers.

“The PRO Act, modeled after California’s AB5, would severely limit businesses’ ability to hire new talent. The stifling regulations imposed would essentially make it impossible to work as an independent contractor or run a franchise business. The new employee definitions would increase the costs of hiring and would make entry-level workers more costly to take a risk on.

“The President-elect should reconsider this pick before it is too late. Withdrawing her name and nominating a leader who understands innovations and respects Right to Work, would be a wise decision. The incoming administration should seek to lay the ground for revamping an economy that has faced various difficulties in recent years. The last thing the economy needs is the passing of regulations that would severely cripple American jobs and innovation, particularly against freelance jobs that add tremendous amount of dynamism to the American economy.

“However, if the nomination were to remain in place, the Senate should decisively strike it down. The American economy cannot sustain another wave of anti-worker legislation and regulations that would continue to add pressure to a tight labor market. What workers need is added dynamism and flexibility, not power handouts to unions that seldom represent them. As bills like California’s AB5 have shown us, the ripple-effect of such union-power grabs can be devastating at all levels of the supply chain. This is not something that should be replicated at the federal level.

“TPA opposes this nomination on behalf of the millions of taxpayers, consumers, workers, and employers we represent.”