Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer Exits Trump Cabinet

Chavez-DeRemer’s departure follows reports that began surfacing in January that she was under investigation. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press)

WASHINGTON — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, the administration announced April 20, following reports of alleged misconduct, including an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.

Chavez-DeRemer is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave her post after Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month.

Unlike other recent Cabinet departures, Chavez-DeRemer’s exit was announced by a White House aide, not by the president on his social media account.

“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector,” White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement. “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.”

He said Keith Sonderling, the current deputy labor secretary, would become acting labor secretary in her place.

Chavez-DeRemer’s departure follows reports that began surfacing in January that she was under investigation. The news outlet NOTUS first reported her resignation April 20.

A New York Times report April 15 said the Labor Department’s inspector general was reviewing material showing Chavez-DeRemer and her aides exchanged personal messages and requests with young staff members.

The newspaper reported that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband and father also exchanged text messages with young female staff members, and that some staffers were instructed to “pay attention” to her family, according to people familiar with the investigation.

Those messages were uncovered as part of a broader inquiry that began after the New York Post reported in January that a complaint accused Chavez-DeRemer of a relationship with a subordinate.

She also faced allegations that she drank alcohol on the job and used aides to help plan official trips for personal reasons.

Both the White House and the Labor Department initially said the reports were baseless, though the denials softened as additional allegations emerged.

At least four Labor Department officials have left their jobs during the inquiry, including Chavez-DeRemer’s former chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, as well as a member of her security detail, with whom she was accused of having an affair, the New York Times reported.

Confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet on a 67-32 vote in March 2025, Chavez-DeRemer is a former House GOP lawmaker who represented a swing district in Oregon and lost reelection in November 2024.

In Congress, Chavez-DeRemer backed legislation that would make it easier to unionize at the federal level, as well as a bill aimed at protecting Social Security benefits for public-sector employees.

Some labor unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, backed Chavez-DeRemer for labor secretary. Trump’s decision to nominate her was seen by some observers as an effort to appeal to union-affiliated voters.

Other labor leaders were skeptical of her nomination, questioning whether she would pursue a union-friendly agenda in a GOP administration that fired thousands of federal employees.

Aside from the recent allegations, Chavez-DeRemer maintained a relatively low profile but advanced the administration’s deregulatory agenda during her tenure.

The Labor Department moved to rewrite or repeal more than 60 workplace regulations it viewed as obsolete, including rules on minimum wage requirements, exposure to harmful substances and mine safety, drawing criticism from unions and workplace safety experts.

The proposed changes also included eliminating requirements related to construction site lighting and seat belts for agricultural workers in most employer-provided transportation.

During Chavez-DeRemer’s tenure, the administration canceled millions of dollars in international grants aimed at combating child labor and forced labor abroad.

The Labor Department oversees a broad range of workforce issues, including unemployment data, workplace safety standards, wage and hour enforcement, child labor investigations and laws governing union organizing and unlawful terminations.