Lori Chavez-DeRemer out as Labor secretary

Lori Chavez-DeRemer out as Labor secretary

White House communications director Steven Cheung announced Monday that Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will resign from the Trump administration to join a private-sector role. The statement highlighted her contributions, noting that 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 also mentioned Keith Sonderling will serve as acting secretary of the Department of Labor.

Internal scrutiny and personal allegations

Chavez-DeRemer’s short time in office has been defined by internal inquiries. Complaints within the department led to an investigation into her conduct, which concluded with her husband barred from the agency’s headquarters over sexual assault allegations. The New York Times previously revealed that the criminal probe into these claims had been resolved.

During her tenure, the Labor Department faced significant upheaval. In March 2025, Trump dismissed Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after a jobs report triggered substantial revisions. Following this, Chavez-DeRemer defended the president’s actions, stating,

“It was my job to support the president in the matter.”

Policy shifts and staff reductions

The Trump administration, through the Department of Government Efficiency, initiated sweeping cuts to federal funding and workforce size, targeting hundreds of thousands of jobs. These reductions sparked concerns among policymakers and experts, who warned that the Bureau of Labor Statistics lacked sufficient resources to maintain robust, up-to-date data standards.

Chavez-DeRemer’s leadership also included proposals to roll back over 60 workplace regulations. Among these were efforts to remove the minimum wage requirement for home health care workers, eliminate lighting standards in active construction zones, and ease health and safety rules in the mining sector. The agency’s staff reductions, particularly at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, further intensified debates over its operational capacity.

CNN has requested additional details from the White House, including the effective date of Chavez-DeRemer’s departure. The story has been updated with further context.