Labor Secretary visits with Kean at Edison carpenter training center

Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Tom Kean Jr. have something important in common: they were both among the handful of Republicans who flipped Democratic-held House seats in 2022, giving the GOP a House majority.

Kean remains a member of the House, but after narrowly losing re-election last year, Chavez-DeRemer has taken on a new role as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Labor. And yesterday, Chavez-DeRemer paid a visit to New Jersey, touring the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters’s Edison Training Center alongside Kean as part of her nationwide America at Work tour.

According to a release from Kean’s office, Chavez-DeRemer “met with New Jersey labor leaders to discuss the critical need for continued federal investment in workforce development, expanded apprenticeship opportunities, and the role of unions in driving economic growth across the state.”

“[Yesterday’s] visit to the Northeast Carpenters Training Center in Edison showcased the very best of America’s skilled workforce,” Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. “This state-of-the-art facility equips apprentices and journeymen with the skillset they need to excel in today’s dynamic construction industry. These innovative, hands-on training facilities will help fuel our economic comeback and empower workers to thrive under President Trump’s leadership.”

Chavez-DeRemer is the second Trump Cabinet official to make an official visit to New Jersey alongside Kean, after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy toured sinkholes in Morris County in March. (Duffy, though, didn’t have very far to travel, given that the former Wisconsin congressman is now a resident of Mendham Township.)