Chavez-DeRemer begins meeting with lawmakers on her bid for Labor secretary

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer has begun making the rounds on Capitol Hill to secure support for her bid to become Labor secretary in the Trump administration.

The Oregon Republican will meet with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who serves on the Senate HELP Committee, on Wednesday, a staffer in his office confirmed to POLITICO.

Unions have expressed cautious optimism about President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to tap DeRemer to head up DOL, while some businesses are wary of the pick, which could signal a move away from the GOP’s pro-employer labor tilt. However, she remains one of Trump’s least controversial nominees and will likely gain support from Democrats looking to preserve remnants of President Joe Biden’s labor agenda.

A person familiar with the matter but not authorized to speak on the subject told POLITICO that Molly Conway, a former DOL official in Trump’s first administration, is Chavez-DeRemer’s sherpa on the Hill.

Her office referred POLITICO to Trump’s transition team, which did not immediately return a request for comment.