WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered remarks during today’s confirmation hearing on the nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Click here to watch the hearing.
Cassidy’s speech as prepared for delivery can be found below:
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will please come to order.
Representative Chavez-DeRemer, thank you for appearing before the Committee, and for meeting with me and others over the past several weeks.
The Secretary of Labor has the responsibility to fairly enforce the nation’s labor laws; unbiased towards one or the other.
The Biden-Harris administration weaponized their authority against workers on behalf of Democrats’ political supporters. They eroded the flexibility of over 27 million independent workers, threatening their ability to provide for their families in the manner in which they choose. They also attempted to dismantle the franchise model, employing over nine million workers and empowering Americans from all communities to become successful business owners.
The American people rejected these anti-worker policies at the ballot box. With President Trump back in office, we have an opportunity to turn the page and enact a pro-America agenda, empowering workers and securing economic prosperity. If confirmed as Secretary of Labor, I look forward to working together to accomplish this shared mission.
Your nomination has support from both unions and businesses. You are in a unique position to build a bridge between these two groups to benefit all workers. With potential labor disputes on the horizon, I am sure these relationships will be an asset to the Trump administration.
There are concerns, however, about your past support for the Democrats’ cornerstone legislation, the PRO Act. Workers should have the freedom to decide if they wish to join a union or not. The PRO Act would eliminate this freedom, allowing workers to be coerced and intimidated into unionization. I represent a Right-to-Work state, which protects workers from forced unionization. This, of course, is deeply important to me.
I appreciated our conversations on this issue. I now understand that your co-sponsorship of the PRO Act did not reflect your support of the legislation – but rather your interest in being part of any group that legislated on behalf of employees’ rights. I’m sure you will have the opportunity to explain your position and the Trump administration’s position and agenda moving forward during this hearing.
Thank you again for being here. I look forward to understanding your vision for the Department of Labor and how we can work together, empowering all workers and unleashing the American economy.
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