HR pros are eying President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Labor, former Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

While Chavez-DeRemer was only in congress a short while, she was dubbed by the Atlantic as “the one Trump pick Democrats actually like.” Chavez-DeRemer became the first Republican woman to be elected to congress from Oregon in 2022, where she served for one term before losing her reelection bid to Democrat Janelle Bynum in a tight race in which Democrats poured millions of dollars to unseat her.

As a Republican lawmaker in the US House of Representatives, Chavez-DeRemer co-sponsored former President Biden’s top legislative effort to support organized labor, the Protecting the Right to Organize—or PRO—Act. She was one of only three Republicans to do so. The measure passed the House twice during Biden’s presidency, but never garnered enough Republican support in the US Senate to survive a 60-vote filibuster.

It remains unclear what Chavez-DeRemer, a former suburban mayor and small business owner in the medical field, will prioritize as the head of the agency responsible for enforcing federal laws and regulations related to wages, working conditions, and other employment-related issues, but HR Brew previously explored areas this new Trump-era DOL may pursue, including overtime salary thresholds, revised standards for independent contractors, and joint-employer policy.

Keep reading here.—AD

The Trump administration’s funding-freeze frenzy has left thousands of low-income families at risk of losing their childcare.

Several programs that rely on funding from Head Start, a federally-funded childcare and education program for low-income families, aren’t receiving the funds they need to operate following the Office of Management and Budget’s order to freeze federal grants and funds. These programs now face closures and, without them, thousands of working parents could be forced to cut back on work or exit the workforce to care for children.

On thin ice. At least 51 childcare programs that rely on Head Start grants have experienced funding delays, Tommy Sheridan, deputy director at The National Head Start Association (NHSA), a nonprofit and central organization for Head Start programs, told HR Brew via email. He said the NHSA is currently aware of two grant recipients that have had to temporarily shut down operations, though one reopened on Feb. 5. One of these recipients, based in Waukesha, Wisconsin, serves more than 250 families. The delays could impact nearly 20,000 children under age five enrolled in these programs, their families, and roughly 6,000 employees.

Zoom out. The closure of thousands of Head Start programs could exacerbate the childcare shortage in the US and have a disastrous impact on low-income families. Affordable or on-site childcare is already out of reach for many workers: Just 9% of employers with 500 or more employees offered on-site childcare in 2024, while 16% offered some kind of subsidy, Mercer’s Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2025 found. Parents report spending as many as two months finding appropriate childcare, according to a Care.com survey.

Keep reading here.—PM

Target is being pilloried on social media for Black History Month posts, with commenters calling out the company for championing the month after announcing that it’s retreating from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) commitments.

A video that Target posted to Instagram and Facebook on Sunday features products from Black-owned brands or that may appeal to Black consumers, including Black Barbie. The post says the products are part of the company’s “new #BlackHistoryMonth collection” and that “Target is proud to come together, today and everyday (sic), to celebrate Black joy with exclusive designs and our assortment of Black-owned and founded brands.”

“Target’s commitment to social justice.” Target announced on January 24 that it was stepping back from diversity efforts it had previously championed, such as concluding its “three-year diversity, equity, and inclusion goals,” changing its “Supplier Diversity” program to “Supplier Engagement,” and ceasing to participate in surveys that rate its commitment to diversity, including the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign.

As the Trump administration rails against DE&I initiatives, many companies, including Walmart, Amazon, and McDonald’s have ended or curtailed their diversity programs. Some retailers, including Apple and Costco, have kept their diversity programs intact.

Keep reading on Retail Brew.—AAN