Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned, according to The White House on Monday.
“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector. 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 take on the role of Acting Secretary of Labor,” White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a post on X.
NOTUS reported the news first on Monday.
Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation adds to the mounting turnover rate inside the second Trump administration. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi were pushed out from their positions in March and April, respectively. Top aides at the Labor Department, Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright, have also recently left their roles.
After the announcement of Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation, she released a statement online.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this historic Administration and work for the greatest President of my lifetime,” Chavez-DeRemer said. She added that the department “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,” under her tenure.
“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.”
Chavez-DeRemer represented Oregon’s 5th District for one term before she was appointed as secretary in March 2025.
Sonderling, her replacement, has served alongside her as the deputy secretary of labor since March 2025.
In a statement of his own on Monday, Sonderling thanked both Chavez-DeRemer and Trump.
“We will keep up the fight to put American workers first,” he added.
The department has been embroiled in controversy recently, including an ongoing investigation by the Labor Department’s inspector general into Chavez-DeRemer’s alleged misconduct. Chavez-DeRemer faced at least three workplace complaints describing a hostile work environment.
The New York Times reported last week that the department’s inspector general is investigating text messages from Chavez-DeRemer, her top aides, her husband and her father. Some of those messages include requests to staffers for wine to hotel rooms, even in the middle of the workday, and requests to stay in touch with Chavez-DeRemer’s husband and father.
Moreover, her husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, was accused of sexual harassment and, correspondingly, had been banned from the agency’s headquarters. DeRemer, an anesthesiologist, has denied the allegations, and he ultimately was not charged.
The Labor Department did not immediately respond to JS’s request for comment.
