Washington, D.C., USA - U.S. Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer – a founding co-chair of the Congressional Print Caucus – has been nominated by President-elect Trump to serve as Secretary of Labor in his administration. Chavez-DeRemer co-founded the Congressional Print Caucus along with a fellow female Republican House member and two Democrats, as a “platform dedicated to advancing a public policy agenda that safeguards and promotes America’s printing industry and its diverse communities” and “to empower professionals in the print” industry.

As part of her role, she visited Oregon-based Premier Press this past March to learn more about the commercial printing industry first-hand, and spent time watching equipment in operation and speaking with company employees, writes Lisbeth Lyons Black, director of the Women in Print Alliance.

In Congress, Chavez-DeRemer has sponsored legislation to improve career pathways via increased training opportunities on digital literacy and digital skills – which would benefit the next generation of the print workforce. She has also voiced support for President-elect Trump’s commitment to “expand training and apprenticeships” and champion manufacturing jobs.

The nomination of Chavez-DeRemer, a daughter of a Teamster, is not without controversy, Black points out. As a moderate Republican from a swing district in left-leaning Oregon who narrowly lost reelection in November, she is one of only a handful in her party who sponsored the PRO Act. The Act would weaken state right-to-work provisions and was considered a litmus test for political endorsements by major labor unions. Her nomination was endorsed in a bipartisan manner by Teamster’s president Sean O’Brien and many House Republican colleagues. However, expect tough questioning during her Senate confirmation hearing, as the committee chairman overseeing the process, Senator Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, is from right-to-work state. Some employer groups have also voiced alarm to her nomination.

However, if and when she is confirmed, the printing industry – while it may not receive all of its legislative or regulatory “wish list” – will benefit by knowing the Secretary of Labor has an understanding of its challenges and keen interest in its growth and success.