Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned from her position, effective immediately. The announcement came on Monday, making her the third cabinet member to leave during President Trump’s second term, after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Before the news became public, Chavez-DeRemer was called to the White House, where a senior official gave her a choice: resign or be fired, The Guardian reports. She chose to resign, and her departure came just days before she was set to sit for an interview with the department’s inspector general.
The inspector general had been looking into allegations of professional misconduct involving Chavez-DeRemer and her senior staff. Reports claimed she kept a stash of alcohol in her office, used government resources for personal travel, and had an affair with a member of her security detail. The investigation also looked into claims that the secretary, her family members, and top aides regularly sent personal requests to young staff members.
Her husband’s alleged misconduct played a central role in her downfall
Her husband, Shawn DeRemer, an anesthesiologist, became a serious problem for the department. He was banned from the department’s headquarters after at least two female staff members alleged that he had sexually assaulted them, claiming he touched them inappropriately while inside the department’s building on Constitution Avenue in Washington.
His lawyer rejected the allegations and suggested they were part of an effort to push his wife out of office. Police and prosecutors declined to pursue charges. However, the internal consequences were severe, and at least four department officials had already lost their jobs as the inspector general’s investigation moved forward.
The official statement from the administration focused on her work record. Spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote on social media that she was leaving for a role in the private sector, saying, “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.”
This comes at a time when Trump has been making headlines for other reasons too, including his bizarre explanation involving McDonald’s bags outside the Oval Office. Chavez-DeRemer also posted on X about her time in the role, writing, “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this historic Administration and work for the greatest President of my lifetime.”
She added, “At the Department of Labor, I am proud that we made significant progress in advancing President Trump’s mission to bridge the gap between business and labor and always put the American worker first. We created new pathways to mortgage-paying jobs, prepared workers to excel in the age of AI, took steps to lower prescription drug costs, promoted retirement security, and so much more.”
Her time at the department also drew criticism for major policy changes. Her team moved to rewrite or repeal more than 60 workplace regulations, covering areas like minimum wage rules for home care workers and people with disabilities, safety procedures at mines, and rules on exposure to harmful substances.
The administration also canceled millions of dollars in international grants previously used to fight child and slave labor. Union leaders and workplace safety experts were vocal in their criticism of these rollbacks.
Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling has been named acting secretary of labor. With the president’s approval ratings sitting in the mid-to-high 30s and ongoing concerns about inflation and the war in Iran, the cabinet shake-ups are being seen as a sign of a White House under pressure.
Trump has also been facing pushback on the international stage, including his ongoing public clashes with Pope Leo. As a former Trump White House official put it, “In this White House, when it rains it pours.”
Published: Apr 21, 2026 12:15 pm