Trump Nominee Advances After Being Rescued by 3 ‘Yes’ Votes from Democrats

President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Labor moved one step closer to confirmation on Thursday

Former Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon needed Democratic support to advance after Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, voted against her.

The end result was a 14-9 vote as Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Tim Kaine of Virginia supported Chavez-DeRemer.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska did not originally vote, but was later allowed to record her vote as “yes” after Chavez-DeRemer already had enough votes to move to the full Senate, according to CBS.

Thank you @SenMullin, Chairman @SenBillCassidy, & the HELP Committee for advancing my nomination to serve as @realDonaldTrump‘s Labor Secretary to the full Senate. I enjoyed meeting you all & look forward to continuing our discussions as we fight to put American Workers First 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Kdnr0Ngbbo

— Lori Chavez-DeRemer (@LChavezDeRemer) February 27, 2025

Paul opposed Chavez-DeRemer because as a member of Congress she had co-sponsored the Protecting the Right to Organize Act that would have made it easier to form unions.

Even before the vote, it was clear Chavez-DeRemer had Democrats behind her.

“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 said in a statement.

The Teamsters Union applauds the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for advancing Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination today for U.S. Secretary of Labor. Congratulations to @LChavezDeRemer on garnering strong bipartisan support.

Thanks as well to @SenatorHick… pic.twitter.com/0zHjenx3VU

— Teamsters (@Teamsters) February 27, 2025

Kaine said he supported Chavez-DeRemer, fearing that if she was rejected, someone he believed to be worse might follow, according to Politico.

“I have some concerns … but it just gets worse from here,” he said.

Chavez-DeRemer said during her confirmation hearing she no longer supported overturning right-to-work laws, according to Fox News.

Chavez-DeRemer said she supports trade schools to expand “educational pathways beyond the traditional four-year degree.

“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.

Senate HELP Committee votes 13-9 to advance Trump’s nominee to be labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, with an assist from Democrats.

Rand Paul votes NO.

Hassan, Hickenlooper and Kaine vote YES.

The committee breakdown is 12 Rs, 11 Ds — so the Dem votes were decisive. pic.twitter.com/soDSEi6Xyt

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 27, 2025

Chavez-DeRemer was on the House Agriculture, Education and Workforce, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees during her single House term. She was elected in 2022 but lost in 2024 to Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum, according to Roll Call.

 Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination now heads to the Senate floor and a likely confirmation.

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