Senate confirms Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary in bipartisan vote

Democrats joined Republicans Monday in voting to confirm former GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary, one of the final members of President Trump's Cabinet to win the upper chamber's approval.

Her nomination passed the Senate in a 67 to 32 vote, with 17 Democrats backing her confirmation. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Ted Budd of North Carolina were the only Republicans to oppose her. Chavez-DeRemer served one two-year term in Congress, becoming the first Republican woman elected to Congress in Oregon. Mr. Trump nominated her as labor secretary after she lost her reelection bid in November. 

With a history of support for pro-labor policies, Chavez-DeRemer's path to confirmation once appeared threatened. Paul openly opposed her nomination and predicted in January that she'd lose more than a dozen Republican votes. But her confirmation was approved with support on both sides