Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 9
Moore Labor Push Threatens House GOP Majority by 1 Seat as Trump Allies Back Sonderling
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 9

Moore Labor Push Threatens House GOP Majority by 1 Seat as Trump Allies Back Sonderling

2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 9

Summary

  • Rep. Riley Moore is being lobbied for Labor secretary after Lori Chavez DeRemer resigned in April, creating another potential vacancy that could further squeeze Republicans' razor-thin House majority.
  • White House support is split: some allies are promoting Moore, but other Trump officials say the president backs acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling and wants him to remain in the job.
  • Moore, 18 months into his House term, is seen as close to Trump and has taken high-profile assignments, including a trip to an El Salvador prison to support deportation plans.
  • His labor profile cuts against parts of the GOP conference: he has pushed bipartisan worker-rights legislation and joined Republicans who blocked a bill to exclude some training hours from overtime calculations.
  • The fight underscores how staffing Trump's administration after DeRemer's exit is colliding with the party's narrow House math and internal divisions over labor policy.

Insights

How will the next Labor Secretary's background shape the future of American worker protections?
Will a welder-turned-congressman's advocacy outweigh an administrator's record for the top labor post?
After a leadership scandal, does the Labor Department need an experienced insider or a fresh congressional voice?