President Trump’s pick as labor secretary faced pointed questions from both parties at her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday over her past support for pro-union legislation, an issue that could complicate her nomination.
The nominee, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican congresswoman, was pressed repeatedly about her stand on the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, known as the PRO Act — a sweeping labor bill that sought to strengthen collective bargaining rights. She was a co-sponsor of the measure, a top Democratic priority that has yet to win passage, and one of few Republicans to back it.
Asked if she continued to support it, Ms. Chavez-DeRemer demurred, saying she was no longer in Congress and would support Mr. Trump’s agenda.
“I do not believe that the secretary of labor should write the laws,” she told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which conducted the hearing. “It will be up to the Congress to write those laws and to work together. What I believe is that the American worker deserves to be paid attention to.”
But in response to questions from Rand Paul of Kentucky, one of several Republican senators who have expressed opposition to her confirmation, she said she no longer backed a portion of the legislation that Mr. Paul said undermined “right to work” states, where unionization efforts face stiff legal and political barriers.
The unusual nature of Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination was apparent in the makeup of the audience in the committee room, which was packed with members of the Teamsters union, identifiable by their logo-emblazoned fleeces and jackets. The nominee played up her personal connection to the union on Wednesday, saying in her opening statement, “My journey is rooted in the values instilled by my father, a proud Teamster who worked tirelessly for over 30 years.”
The union’s president, Sean O’Brien, spoke at the Republican National Convention last summer, and the Teamsters withheld any nomination in the presidential race, a decision that many considered a tactical victory for Mr. Trump. In November, Mr. O’Brien recommended Ms. Chavez-DeRemer to Mr. Trump for the labor role.
Ms. Chavez-DeRemer, a former mayor of Happy Valley, Ore., served one term in the House, narrowly losing to a Democratic challenger in November. In addition to being a co-sponsor of the PRO Act, she backed the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which would ensure collective bargaining rights for public employees nationwide.
Her selection by Mr. Trump was seen as a nod to Mr. O’Brien. (In a critical editorial on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal called her selection a “quid pro quo.”)
Her nomination has also highlighted divisions within the Republican Party. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said in November that he would “need to get a better understanding of her support for Democrat legislation in Congress that would strip Louisiana’s ability to be a right-to-work state, and if that will be her position going forward.” On Wednesday, Mr. Cassidy seemed largely satisfied with Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s responses to questions on the PRO Act.
Other Republican senators, such as Josh Hawley of Missouri, have courted labor unions — Mr. Hawley has called for strengthening and supporting unions as a pillar of what he calls “pro-labor conservatism.” In Wednesday’s hearing, he described Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s record as “really outstanding.”
Mr. Paul has said the nominee may lose at least a dozen Republican votes on the Senate floor. If that holds after Wednesday, Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s success could depend on whether she draws any Democratic support.
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who serves as the committee’s ranking minority member, had expressed cautious openness to Ms. Chavez-DeRemer, and said on Wednesday that her record was “very good.” But he, like Democrats on the committee, raised concerns about whether she would uphold federal labor laws or be a “rubber stamp” for the Trump administration.
The hearing also became a referendum on Mr. Trump’s recent executive actions, including dismantling the federal work force and empowering Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency team has established a presence in the Labor Department and elsewhere. Democrats on the committee wanted to know if Ms. Chavez-DeRemer would respect appropriations laws and protect sensitive information in the department’s databases.
“I do not believe the president is going to ask me to violate the law,” Ms. Chavez-DeRemer said.
Asked several times about support for raising the federal minimum wage, Ms. Chavez-DeRemer said Congress should determine that.
Several Republicans on the committee asked what she would do to crack down on companies using child labor. Some, like Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, raised concerns about a shortage of visas to support workers in her state’s seasonal industries.
Mr. Sanders did not appear encouraged by Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s answers about the PRO Act. She called it an “imperfect” bill, saying she was “no longer a lawmaker” and would carry out Mr. Trump’s agenda. “I support the American worker,” she said.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” Mr. Sanders interjected. “I am gathering you no longer support the PRO Act.”