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Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down from her position in the Trump Administration, a top White House official said on Monday. The news comes amid a monthslong investigation into her leadership of the federal agency that stemmed from allegations of misconduct.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a post on X that Chavez-DeRemer will be departing the Administration to take a job in the private sector, adding that “she has done a phenomenal job in her role.” Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling will serve as the Acting Secretary of Labor, Cheung said.
Chavez-DeRemer said in a post on X that evening that she was “proud” of the work that the department had accomplished.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this historic Administration and work for the greatest President of my lifetime,” she said. “Thank you, President Trump. While my time serving in the Administration comes to a conclusion, it doesn’t mean I will stop fighting for American workers. I am looking forward to what the future has in store as I depart for the private sector.”
“Under your reign, the Department of Labor reversed years of bad policy from the previous administration—cutting regulatory burdens, exposing fraud, boosting apprenticeships, and making life more affordable for hardworking Americans,” he said of Chavez-DeRemer. He went on to thank Trump “for the opportunity to serve as Acting Secretary of Labor.”
Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation marks the third departure from the President’s Cabinet in recent weeks; Trump removed Kristi Noem as his Homeland Security Secretary in March, followed by Pam Bondi as his Attorney General earlier this month.
The news of Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation, first reported by NOTUS, follows a series of civil rights complaints inside the agency under her leadership, as well as an investigation conducted by the agency’s inspector general’s office into the conduct of Chavez-DeRemer and her senior aides. The claims against her include allegations that she had an affair with a subordinate, who was a member of her security team, as well as allegations that she drank alcohol during the workday. Chavez-DeRemer was also accused of using department resources for personal travel.
The New York Times reported last week that the Department of Labor’s inspector general’s office was reviewing personal messages that Chavez-DeRemer, her top aides, and her family members had exchanged with department employees, including ones that Chavez-DeRemer and her former deputy chief of staff had sent requesting that staffers bring them wine, at times during the workday.
Other text messages, reviewed by the Times, were reportedly exchanged between Chavez-DeRemer’s husband and young female employees. In February, the Times reported that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband was prohibited from entering the Department of Labor’s headquarters, after two women who worked at the agency accused him of sexually assaulting them. One of the staffers filed a report with local police in January. Police opened a sexual assault investigation, but the authorities ultimately declined to bring charges against Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, according to the Times.
Several of Chavez-DeRemer’s top aides have also reportedly been the subject of investigation. Four people at the agency have been forced out of their positions, including Chavez-DeRemer’s former deputy chief of staff and the security official whom she was accused of engaging in a relationship with.
The White House and Department of Labor previously denied any wrongdoing amid reporting on the investigation earlier this year.
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