WASHINGTON — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has stepped down from President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, the White House announced Monday, following numerous accusations of misconduct including an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and consuming alcohol during work hours.
This marks the third departure from Trump’s Cabinet, coming after the president dismissed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and removed Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month.
In contrast to previous Cabinet exits, Chavez-DeRemer’s departure was revealed through a White House staff member rather than Trump’s own social media announcement.
“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector,” stated White House communications director Steven Cheung on X. “She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives.”
Cheung announced that Keith Sonderling, currently serving as deputy labor secretary, will step into the acting labor secretary role. NOTUS initially broke the story of Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation.
Her exit comes after investigations that began emerging in January regarding her conduct in office.
Last Wednesday, The New York Times disclosed that the Labor Department’s inspector general was examining evidence showing Chavez-DeRemer and her senior staff and relatives regularly sent personal communications and requests to junior employees.
According to the newspaper, both Chavez-DeRemer’s spouse and father had text exchanges with young female workers. Some employees received instructions from the secretary and her former deputy chief of staff to give special attention to her family members, sources familiar with the probe told the Times.
These communications came to light during a wider examination of Chavez-DeRemer’s management style that started after the New York Post reported in January about a complaint filed with the Labor Department’s inspector general alleging she had a relationship with a subordinate.
Additional accusations included drinking alcohol while on duty and directing staff to organize official travel primarily for personal purposes.
Initially, both the White House and Labor Department dismissed the misconduct reports as unfounded. However, official denials became less emphatic as additional allegations surfaced, making her potential departure a topic of speculation in Washington.
At least four Labor Department personnel have already been removed from their positions as the investigation continued, including Chavez-DeRemer’s former chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, plus a security team member with whom she allegedly had the affair, according to The New York Times.
“I think the secretary demonstrated a lot of wisdom in resigning,” commented Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on Monday following the announcement of her departure.
The Senate confirmed Chavez-DeRemer to Trump’s Cabinet with a 67-32 vote in March 2025. She previously served as a House Republican representing a competitive Oregon district and had garnered uncommon union support for a Republican before losing her reelection bid in November 2024.
During her congressional term, Chavez-DeRemer supported measures that would simplify federal unionization processes and separate legislation designed to protect Social Security benefits for government workers.
Several major labor organizations, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, endorsed Chavez-DeRemer for Labor Secretary, noting she is the daughter of a Teamster member. Trump’s selection of her was seen by political analysts as an attempt to attract voters connected to labor organizations.
However, other influential labor leaders remained doubtful when she was chosen, questioning whether Chavez-DeRemer would pursue pro-union policies within a Republican administration. During her Senate confirmation process, some senators wondered if she could maintain her labor-friendly reputation in an administration that terminated thousands of federal workers.
Beyond the recent misconduct allegations, Chavez-DeRemer maintained a relatively low profile among Trump’s Cabinet selections but implemented significant measures supporting the administration’s deregulation goals.
The Labor Department moved to revise or eliminate over 60 workplace regulations deemed outdated during her time in office. These rollbacks affected minimum wage standards for home health care workers and individuals with disabilities, along with regulations covering exposure to dangerous materials and mining safety protocols. These changes faced criticism from union representatives and workplace safety advocates.
The proposed modifications also included removing requirements for employers to provide proper lighting at construction sites and seat belts for agricultural workers in most employer-supplied vehicles.
Under Chavez-DeRemer’s leadership, the Trump administration terminated millions of dollars in international funding that a Labor Department unit managed to fight child labor and forced labor globally, halting efforts that had contributed to reducing child laborers worldwide by 78 million over twenty years.
The Labor Department oversees extensive responsibilities regarding the American workforce, including publishing unemployment statistics, regulating workplace health and safety standards, investigating minimum wage, child labor and overtime violations, and enforcing laws related to union formation and wrongful terminations.
