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Julia Letlow Asks Labor Sec. Chavez-DeRemer About Supporting Parents, Vets Reentering The Workforce
Forbes Breaking News
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5/15/2025
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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00:00
Thank you. The chair recognizes myself for five minutes. Madam Secretary, it is a delight to have
00:07
you with us today. I am so grateful that President Trump entrusted you to run the Department of
00:14
Labor because somebody with your background and your expertise as a small business owner,
00:19
everything that you bring to the table is going to be such an asset, not only for the department,
00:24
but for our country. And so I could not be more thrilled to have you sitting before us today.
00:28
And I just wanted to share wherever I go in my district, I hear from young moms and dads
00:34
about how hard it is to get back into the workforce after a life altering event, such as having a
00:42
newborn, which you're very familiar with as a new grandmother. Congratulations. But I just,
00:48
I've been so honored to be a part of that working group, along with my colleague, Representative
00:53
Vice. And we put forward the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act, which is truly a public-private
01:00
partnership to encourage our states to get more moms and dads back into the workforce. Because
01:06
we know, I think we can all agree, that workforce flexibility leads to employee retention, which I
01:12
know is so important to you and your work and all that you're doing. And I'd like to give one more plug
01:17
to my home state of Louisiana. We, through the Department of Veterans Affairs, launched what we
01:23
call the BOOT. It's an initiative to improve the recruiting, employment, and retention of our
01:27
transitioning service members through partnerships with local businesses and organizations. And
01:33
together, efforts like expanding paid family leave and supporting veteran workforce initiatives
01:38
demonstrates how innovative, flexible approaches to employment can strengthen both our labor force
01:45
and our economy. So I'd like to start by asking you what the department laborers plan to ensure those
01:52
who may have taken a gap in employment, such as our mothers, our dads, and our veterans, how they will
01:58
have the tools to necessary, necessary to re-enter and contribute back to the workforce? Well, thank you,
02:05
Chairwoman. It's an honor to be before you. And as we serve together on Education and Workforce
02:11
Committee, we know how valuable the workforce is. So a couple of things. One, thank you for working on
02:17
the legislation with Congresswoman Vice. Certainly, we want to be, from the Department of Labor's
02:22
perspective, this is important to grow that workforce. And whatever we can do on the technical
02:25
assistance, as I once said, glad to do and work with your office as you, you know, move legislation
02:30
forward. That being said, yes. You know, the culmination of my experience, and thank you for
02:37
recognizing that. I am the daughter of a Teamster. I do understand how important that is for the
02:41
American workforce. I am a business owner and have created a business over the last 20 years.
02:46
That also plays into it. I'm a former mayor and understanding what happens on the ground in these
02:51
respective states. And now former Congresswoman and now Secretary of Labor put those together.
02:56
And I believe that is exactly, and I know that's why the President said you will be best as a Secretary
03:01
to bring all sides to the table and get to good bipartisan legislation for you all. And then how
03:07
can I enforce those? Through Louisiana, the goal is to grow that workforce. Everything that we can do
03:14
as a new grandmother, understanding how key that is. And that's at the direction of the President.
03:20
How are we going to grow this workforce, whether it's through a million apprenticeships, the pipelines
03:24
that we need, respecting and understanding every state is very different than the one size fits all,
03:28
is not always going to work. And we need to listen to the market driven economy, what they're asking for
03:33
in the flexibility and modernization of labor law. That being said, I look forward to working with you
03:39
and your offices to do just that as we move through the America First agenda and streamlining
03:46
how labor law has been done in the past and still protect what the Department of Labor's mission is.
03:50
And that is to protect the American worker, the job seeker, as well as the retiree as we move forward.
03:56
Awesome. So transitioning over to my backgrounds in higher education, as you know, and I am
04:02
passionate about training up our next workforce, and I'm very well aware that a four year degree
04:07
is not for every student. We have some amazing fields that our students can go into through the
04:13
trade schools and community colleges. I have to give a shout out to Louisiana Delta Community College
04:18
back in my district because they are truly stepping up to meet the workforce demands by
04:23
producing these programs that are going to do just that. We just announced a new meta data center
04:29
in my district, and they are actually stepping up to make sure that that workforce is ready to go
04:36
to fulfill those high paying jobs. So can you talk a little bit to us about what the Department of Labor
04:42
is doing to make sure that we are bolstering that workforce and not just focusing on four year
04:48
institutions, but our trade schools and community colleges to make sure that those partnerships exist so
04:53
that we can produce the next generation of workforce.
04:56
Yeah, thank you for bringing that up. Community colleges for far too long have kind of been,
05:01
you know, left behind in knowing that they are really the conduit between what the community is
05:05
asking for, as well as what we can produce as a skilled workforce. And so upskilling, reskilling,
05:11
that's the job of the Department of Labor is to make sure that that pipeline is always running and fulfilled.
05:17
And, you know, post this last administration and post-COVID, we are just now getting up and running
05:22
and with the under the direction of this president that, you know, I firmly believe he is the president
05:27
of the American worker because he's focused on all workers across the board. And I'm going to do everything
05:32
I can to fulfill that. And one of those ways is to upskill, reskill and fulfill that apprenticeship.
05:37
One million apprenticeships every single year and we're well on our way.
05:41
Thank you so much for your time. Thank you.
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