In Senate Hearing, Murray Presses Labor Secretary Nominee to Commit to Following Appropriations Law, Raises Conflict of Interest Concerns over DOGE Access to DOL Data, Enforcing Child Labor Laws – Senator Patty Murray

Washington, D.C. —

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, questioned former Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Labor (DOL), at a HELP committee hearing on her nomination. Murray pressed Chavez-DeRemer on the Trump administration’s unprecedented and unlawful efforts to hold up federal funding Congress passed into law, and whether it’s appropriate for Elon Musk—whose companies have repeatedly been accused of violating labor laws—to have access to sensitive, market-moving data at the Department of Labor. Murray also asked Chavez-DeRemer about how she would make sure the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and the Solicitor’s office would enforce our nation’s child labor law, as the number of minors employed in violation of child labor laws has increased dramatically since 2019—something Senator Murray has introduced legislation to combat.

Murray’s Questioning on Funding Freezes

1. Murray began by pressing Chavez-DeRemer on Trump’s ongoing illegal funding freezes—and whether she will follow the law and ensure that funding passed by Congress and signed into law isn’t illegally held up by the Trump administration.
2. Chavez DeRemer replied that, “The President of the United States has the power to determine what he’s going to do through his executive power. I have not been confirmed. I have not been read into all that.”
3. Murray asked, “Ok I’m asking you: will you follow the law? There is an Impoundment Control Act—will you follow that law?”
4. Chavez DeRemer replied, “I will follow the law and the Constitution.”
5. Murray pressed, “If you receive a directive to violate appropriations laws and withhold funding for workers, what will you do?”
6. Chavez DeRemer said, “I do not believe the President is going to ask me to break the law.”
7. Murray followed up, “But we have seen that across the board since he was put into office—where he is violating that law—so you will likely be asked. What will you do?”
8. Chavez DeRemer replied, “Well it’s a hypothetical, I have not talked to the President on this issue.”
9. Murray pressed again, “So you won’t commit to following the law if the President tells you to violate it?”
10. Chavez DeRemer said, “I will commit to following the law and I do not believe the President would ever ask me to break the law.”

Murray’s Questioning on Elon Musk’s Access to Sensitive Information

• Murray continued her questioning by asking about Elon Musk’s DOGE team accessing sensitive information at the Department of Labor—and the serious conflict of interest concerns it raised.
• Murray stated, “Last week, Elon Musk’s DOGE team came to the Department of Labor and got access to the Department’s sensitive information system. Musk’s companies have, as you must know, been repeatedly accused of violating labor laws—including workplace safety laws, discrimination laws, and wage and hour laws. In fact, OSHA has investigated Tesla and SpaceX. Now, Elon can access those investigations about HIS companies–because he’s gone in and gotten those records. He can also access sensitive, market moving data created by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That gives him tremendous power to manipulate quarterly jobs numbers and other important economic data—to say nothing of raising potential insider trading concerns.”
• Murray asked, “Just to make this abundantly clear: Elon Musk is now in a position to use his unelected role to use confidential government data to advance his own corporate interests, while suppressing his competitors. Do you believe it is appropriate for someone with such blatant conflicts of interest to have access to those confidential economic and personal information?”
• Chavez DeRemer responded, “Thank you Senator Murray. If I have the honor of being confirmed by this committee and the full Senate, then I will have the opportunity—I have not stepped foot into the Department of Labor. And I understand…”
• Murray continued, “Well, my question to you is will you protect the private information of people whose records you will be overseeing? Will you allow anyone—a billionaire, or anyone else—to come in and access that?”
• Chavez DeRemer evaded, “Again, because I have not been confirmed, I only see the reports that everybody else is seeing—I have not been read into that. If confirmed, I will…”
• Murray pressed, “You’re not answering the question.”
• Chavez DeRemer replied, “If confirmed, I will support the Department of Labor. I think it’s important to support the Department of Labor. But I have not been…”
• Murray pressed again, “… the private information that you will be overseeing? Will you protect that?”
• Chavez DeRemer said, “I would protect the private information. On this issue, I have not been privy to those conversations with the President—I have seen that. If confirmed, I commit to you that I will always protect the Department of Labor and those issues,”

Murray’s Questioning on Child Labor Violations

1. Murray concluded her questioning by raising awareness of the worrying spike in child labor violations over the last five years.
2. Murray asked, “Well, let me ask you about child labor. It’s an area that I have been very worried about–the rise of child labor violations. The Wage and Hour Division at the department has actually seen a 31 percent increase in minors employed in violation of child labor laws since 2019. In the last administration, the Wage and Hour Division at DOL and the Solicitor’s office worked really hard to secure some really important victories against some really egregious violators. How will you make sure that the Wage and Hour Division and the Solicitor’s office work together to enforce our child labor laws in this country?”
3. Chavez DeRemer responded, “Well, protecting… child labor is abhorrent. And nobody should stand for child labor exploitation. I will do everything in my power within the Department of Labor to double down on the safety of all American workers that are exploited–but especially child labor. And I would love to work with your office, if this is an important issue–it should be important to everybody, making sure that we protect against any child labor exploitation.”

About Senator Murray’s Work

Throughout her career, Senator Murray has championed workers’ rights and fought to combat employment discrimination, including as the top Democrat on the Senate labor committee from 2015-2022—among other things, Senator Murray fought back against a proposed DOL rule by the Trump administration that would allow federal contractors and subcontractors to justify discrimination against women, LGBTQ+ people, and members of certain religious groups on ideological grounds. Senator Murray first introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act—comprehensive labor legislation to protect workers’ right to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces—in the 116th Congress. Murray also leads the Paycheck Fairness Act to combat wage discrimination and help close the wage gap, and has helped lead the fight for paid family and medical leave since she first joined Congress.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 8.8: Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.
• SDG 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
• SDG 16.6: Develop effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for SDG 8.8: Number of labor rights violations reported and resolved.
• Indicator for SDG 10.7: Number of policies and measures implemented to ensure safe and regular migration.
• Indicator for SDG 16.6: Level of transparency and accountability in government institutions.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: murray.senate.gov