Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigns from Trump’s Cabinet following allegations of an affair with a subordinate and on-the-job alcohol consumption.

(SeaPRwire) –   The White House announced on Monday that Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has exited President Donald Trump’s administration. This departure follows several accusations of misconduct, specifically claims of an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and consuming alcohol while working.

Chavez-DeRemer marks the third Cabinet official to resign under Trump. This follows the dismissal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and the removal of Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month.

Chavez-DeRemer commended Trump in a social media statement, writing, “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.”

In contrast to other recent Cabinet exits, Chavez-DeRemer’s departure was revealed by a White House aide rather than by the president himself on social media.

“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector,” stated White House communications director Steven Cheung on X. “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 noted that Keith Sonderling, the current deputy labor secretary, will serve as acting secretary. NOTUS was the first outlet to report on Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation.

Labor chief and family confronted with numerous accusations

Reports emerging in January indicated that Chavez-DeRemer was the subject of several investigations, leading to her resignation.

According to a New York Times report last Wednesday, the Labor Department’s inspector general has been examining evidence that Chavez-DeRemer, along with her senior aides and relatives, frequently sent personal messages and requests to younger staff.

The newspaper reported that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband and father texted young female employees. Sources close to the investigation told the Times that the secretary and her former deputy chief of staff directed some employees to “pay attention” to her family.

These messages were discovered during a wider probe into Chavez-DeRemer’s leadership, initiated after the New York Post reported in January on a complaint to the inspector generalities alleging a relationship between Chavez-DeRemer and a subordinate.

Additional accusations claimed that she consumed alcohol during work hours and instructed aides to organize official travel largely for personal purposes.

Initially, both the White House and the Labor Department dismissed the misconduct reports as unfounded. However, official denials became less emphatic as new allegations surfaced, raising speculation in Washington about Chavez-DeRemer’s job security.

As the investigation continued, at least four Labor Department officials were ousted, including Chavez-DeRemer’s former chief of staff and deputy chief of staff. The New York Times reported that a member of her security detail—the alleged paramour—was also among those forced out.

“I think the secretary demonstrated a lot of wisdom in resigning,” remarked Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on Monday following the public announcement of her exit.

She garnered union backing — uncommon for a GOP member

Confirmed by a 67-32 Senate vote in March 2025, Chavez-DeRemer previously served as a Republican House representative for a competitive Oregon district. Although she lost her reelection bid in November 2024, she held rare union support for a Republican.

During her one term in Congress, Chavez-DeRemer supported legislation facilitating federal-level unionization and a bill designed to protect Social Security benefits for public employees.

Several major labor unions, such as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, endorsed Chavez-DeRemer—a Teamster’s daughter—for the Labor Secretary role. Political analysts interpreted Trump’s selection as an effort to court voters within or allied with labor groups.

However, other influential labor figures remained skeptical upon her appointment, doubting she would maintain a pro-union agenda within the incoming Republican administration. During her confirmation hearing, senators questioned if she could sustain that reputation given the administration’s termination of thousands of federal workers.

She played a central role in Trump’s deregulation efforts

Despite the recent misconduct reports, Chavez-DeRemer was a relatively low-profile Cabinet pick who nonetheless implemented significant measures to further the administration’s deregulatory objectives during her term.

Last year, the Labor Department sought to revise or eliminate over 60 workplace regulations deemed outdated. These rollbacks affected minimum wage rules for home health aides and disabled individuals, as well as safety protocols and hazardous substance exposure standards in mines. Union leaders and safety experts condemned these actions.

The proposals also included scrapping mandates for sufficient lighting at construction sites and seat belts for agricultural workers in most employer-supplied vehicles.

Under Chavez-DeRemer, the administration cut millions in international grants managed by a Labor Department division to fight global child and forced labor. This halted work that had decreased the global child labor count by 78 million over the past 20 years.

In her Monday statement, Chavez-DeRemer declared, “While my time serving in the Administration comes to a conclusion, it doesn’t mean I will stop fighting for American workers.”

The Labor Department holds a wide-ranging mandate regarding the U.S. workforce, encompassing the reporting of unemployment rates, the regulation of workplace safety and health, the investigation of disputes involving wages, child labor, and overtime, and the enforcement of laws concerning union activities and wrongful terminations.