During a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) questioned Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer about supporting parents and veterans reentering the workforce after taking a gap.
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00:00Thank you. The chair recognizes myself for five minutes. Madam Secretary, it is a delight to have
00:07you with us today. I am so grateful that President Trump entrusted you to run the Department of
00:14Labor because somebody with your background and your expertise as a small business owner,
00:19everything that you bring to the table is going to be such an asset, not only for the department,
00:24but for our country. And so I could not be more thrilled to have you sitting before us today.
00:28And I just wanted to share wherever I go in my district, I hear from young moms and dads
00:34about how hard it is to get back into the workforce after a life altering event, such as having a
00:42newborn, which you're very familiar with as a new grandmother. Congratulations. But I just,
00:48I've been so honored to be a part of that working group, along with my colleague, Representative
00:53Vice. And we put forward the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act, which is truly a public-private
01:00partnership to encourage our states to get more moms and dads back into the workforce. Because
01:06we know, I think we can all agree, that workforce flexibility leads to employee retention, which I
01:12know is so important to you and your work and all that you're doing. And I'd like to give one more plug
01:17to my home state of Louisiana. We, through the Department of Veterans Affairs, launched what we
01:23call the BOOT. It's an initiative to improve the recruiting, employment, and retention of our
01:27transitioning service members through partnerships with local businesses and organizations. And
01:33together, efforts like expanding paid family leave and supporting veteran workforce initiatives
01:38demonstrates how innovative, flexible approaches to employment can strengthen both our labor force
01:45and our economy. So I'd like to start by asking you what the department laborers plan to ensure those
01:52who may have taken a gap in employment, such as our mothers, our dads, and our veterans, how they will
01:58have the tools to necessary, necessary to re-enter and contribute back to the workforce? Well, thank you,
02:05Chairwoman. It's an honor to be before you. And as we serve together on Education and Workforce
02:11Committee, we know how valuable the workforce is. So a couple of things. One, thank you for working on
02:17the legislation with Congresswoman Vice. Certainly, we want to be, from the Department of Labor's
02:22perspective, this is important to grow that workforce. And whatever we can do on the technical
02:25assistance, as I once said, glad to do and work with your office as you, you know, move legislation
02:30forward. That being said, yes. You know, the culmination of my experience, and thank you for
02:37recognizing that. I am the daughter of a Teamster. I do understand how important that is for the
02:41American workforce. I am a business owner and have created a business over the last 20 years.
02:46That also plays into it. I'm a former mayor and understanding what happens on the ground in these
02:51respective states. And now former Congresswoman and now Secretary of Labor put those together.
02:56And I believe that is exactly, and I know that's why the President said you will be best as a Secretary
03:01to bring all sides to the table and get to good bipartisan legislation for you all. And then how
03:07can I enforce those? Through Louisiana, the goal is to grow that workforce. Everything that we can do
03:14as a new grandmother, understanding how key that is. And that's at the direction of the President.
03:20How are we going to grow this workforce, whether it's through a million apprenticeships, the pipelines
03:24that we need, respecting and understanding every state is very different than the one size fits all,
03:28is not always going to work. And we need to listen to the market driven economy, what they're asking for
03:33in the flexibility and modernization of labor law. That being said, I look forward to working with you
03:39and your offices to do just that as we move through the America First agenda and streamlining
03:46how labor law has been done in the past and still protect what the Department of Labor's mission is.
03:50And that is to protect the American worker, the job seeker, as well as the retiree as we move forward.
03:56Awesome. So transitioning over to my backgrounds in higher education, as you know, and I am
04:02passionate about training up our next workforce, and I'm very well aware that a four year degree
04:07is not for every student. We have some amazing fields that our students can go into through the
04:13trade schools and community colleges. I have to give a shout out to Louisiana Delta Community College
04:18back in my district because they are truly stepping up to meet the workforce demands by
04:23producing these programs that are going to do just that. We just announced a new meta data center
04:29in my district, and they are actually stepping up to make sure that that workforce is ready to go
04:36to fulfill those high paying jobs. So can you talk a little bit to us about what the Department of Labor
04:42is doing to make sure that we are bolstering that workforce and not just focusing on four year
04:48institutions, but our trade schools and community colleges to make sure that those partnerships exist so
04:53that we can produce the next generation of workforce.
04:56Yeah, thank you for bringing that up. Community colleges for far too long have kind of been,
05:01you know, left behind in knowing that they are really the conduit between what the community is
05:05asking for, as well as what we can produce as a skilled workforce. And so upskilling, reskilling,
05:11that's the job of the Department of Labor is to make sure that that pipeline is always running and fulfilled.
05:17And, you know, post this last administration and post-COVID, we are just now getting up and running
05:22and with the under the direction of this president that, you know, I firmly believe he is the president
05:27of the American worker because he's focused on all workers across the board. And I'm going to do everything
05:32I can to fulfill that. And one of those ways is to upskill, reskill and fulfill that apprenticeship.
05:37One million apprenticeships every single year and we're well on our way.
05:41Thank you so much for your time. Thank you.