Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigns amid an internal investigation into misconduct. The White House praised her contributions to labor practices and announced she will move to a private sector role.
Mentioned in this story
Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer looks on during a Congressional hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 22, 2025. Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images
Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving her post amid an internal investigation brought on by complaints about misconduct by the secretary while in office.
White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung announced the departure on X, writing "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 said Chavez-DeRemer was taking a position in the private sector.
A senior official at the Labor Department not authorized to speak publicly about the departure said the secretary had resigned.
Chavez-DeRemer is the third cabinet member to leave during President Trump's second term.
In early March, Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shortly after lawmakers on Capitol Hill berated her over her agency's handling of immigration enforcement — as well as its $220 million ad campaign featuring the secretary on horseback.
A month later, Trump removed Attorney General Pam Bondi amid simmering frustration over her leadership of the Justice Department and her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
While Chavez-DeRemer has played a far less visible role than Bondi or Noem in Trump's second term, her tenure has also been marked by controversy.
In January, the New York Post first reported that the Labor Department's inspector general was looking into complaints that Chavez-DeRemer was having an affair with a subordinate, drinking alcohol on the job and using taxpayer-funded travel to visit with friends and family members.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned due to an internal investigation stemming from complaints about misconduct during her time in office.
The resignation was announced by White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung on X.
She was recognized for protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills.
After her resignation, she is set to take a position in the private sector.
King Charles commemorated the late Queen Elizabeth II on her 100th birthday with a personal video message, reflecting on her life of public service. He hinted that she would have been troubled by the current state of the world.
UK government shifts older wind and solar farms to fixed-price deals to stabilize electricity costs.
Check out Troy Deeney's Premier League team of the week and share your thoughts!
Tottenham remains in danger of relegation after West Ham's draw. Who's the favorite to drop?
Shooting at Teotihuacán pyramids leaves Canadian woman dead and others injured
Outcry grows after Israeli soldier smashes Jesus statue in Lebanon
See every story in News — including breaking news and analysis.
NPR has not independently verified the contents of the investigation.
While in office, Chavez-DeRemer spent much of her time away from Washington. A year ago, she launched her "America at Work" listening tour, an initiative that took her to all 50 states.
Chavez-DeRemer's chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, who had been on leave since January, resigned in early March. A third senior member of her staff, Melissa Robey, said in a statement issued March 26 that she had been fired a couple days earlier, after giving a four-hour interview to the Office of the Inspector General.
Meanwhile, the New York Times was first to report that Chavez-DeRemer's husband, Shawn DeRemer, an anesthesiologist in Portland, Ore., had been barred from Labor Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., after at least two staffers reported he had touched them inappropriately. Washington, D.C. police and federal prosecutors closed the cases without bringing charges.
An unconventional choice
Trump's selection of Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Labor Department was seen by many as a concession to Teamsters President Sean O'Brien. O'Brien had been friendly with Trump through the presidential campaign, taking a prime-time speaking slot at the 2024 Republican National Convention and later declining to endorse Trump's opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
O'Brien had pushed for Chavez-DeRemer's selection, noting that she was one of only a few Republicans in Congress to have supported the PRO Act. That bill aimed to make it easier for workers to organize unions, including by overturning state Right to Work laws, which weaken unions.
At the time, Trump wrote, "Lori's strong support from both the Business and Labor communities will ensure that the Labor Department can unite Americans of all backgrounds."
Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, who has already been running much of the day-to-day operations of the Labor Department, has been named acting secretary, according to Cheung's post on X.
Sonderling previously served at the Labor Department during the first Trump administration and at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under the Biden administration, having been nominated by Trump during his first term to fill a Republican seat.
