Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned from the Trump administration Monday, marking the third high-profile departure of a female cabinet member in two months. While the White House framed the exit as a transition to the private sector, the resignation follows a series of scandals involving her family’s conduct within the Department of Labor.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung confirmed that Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling will serve as Acting Secretary. In a statement, Cheung praised Chavez-DeRemer’s year-long tenure, citing her efforts to enact “fair labor practices” and protect American workers.
Chavez-DeRemer echoed this sentiment in a post on X, calling her service an “honor” and describing Donald Trump as the “greatest President of my lifetime.” She emphasized her work bridging the gap between business and labor but did not address the controversies that have shadowed her office since February.
The former Oregon congresswoman’s departure comes as the Labor Department grapples with multiple reports of personal and professional misconduct.
In February, reports surfaced that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, was barred from the Department of Labor’s Washington headquarters. The restriction followed allegations from two female staffers who accused him of sexual assault. Although federal prosecutors closed that investigation without filing charges—and an attorney for Dr. DeRemer “categorically denies” the claims—the incident created a significant rift within the agency.
A subsequent report this month alleged that Chavez-DeRemer, her family, and young female staff members were the subjects of an internal probe regarding inappropriate text messages. Investigations suggested that the Secretary and her deputy chief of staff had warned female employees to “pay attention” to the behavior of Chavez-DeRemer’s father and husband.
The Labor Department’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has declined to confirm the existence of specific probes, citing standard policy. However, a spokesperson emphasized the office’s mandate to “root out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption.”
Chavez-DeRemer’s exit highlights a period of rapid turnover within the President’s top ranks. She follows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was ousted in March, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was removed in early April.
As Sonderling takes the helm, the department faces the dual challenge of maintaining its “worker-first” policy agenda while navigating the fallout of the OIG’s ongoing scrutiny into the previous leadership’s conduct.
