Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned following misconduct allegations against her and her top staffers. She is the third Cabinet member — and woman — to step back during President Donald Trump’s second term.
White House communications director Steven Cheung confirmed Chavez-DeRemer’s exit on Monday.
“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the administration to take a position in the private sector,” Cheung said. “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.”
Keith Sonderling will serve as acting secretary of the Department of Labor, Cheung stated.
In a statement on X, Chavez-DeRemer thanked Trump and said that she would be taking a job in the private sector. “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,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “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.”
Chavez-DeRemer has been under investigation since January, following a probe launched by DOL Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito into claims that she was involved in a sexual relationship with a subordinate, a member of her security team.
Two of Chavez-DeRemer’s staff members resigned in March following an investigation into whether they committed “travel fraud” by setting up work events for the labor secretary as an excuse for personal travel.
Earlier this year, The New York Times reported that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, was banned from the Labor Department’s headquarters after two female staff members told officials that he had allegedly sexually assaulted them.
The women’s claims were found as part of an internal investigation by the inspector general into misconduct allegations against Chavez-DeRemer and her senior staff, according to the Times.
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