Labor Department Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is resigning from the Trump administration, the White House said Monday.
Chavez-DeRemer, 58, “will take a position in the private sector,” White House communications director Steven Cheung told The X Post.
Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling will run the department on an acting basis, Cheung wrote.
Chavez-DeRemer is reportedly involved in an investigation by the Labor Department’s inspector general into allegations of misconduct, including that he used agency services for travel and had an affair with a member of his security team.
Chavez-DeRemer was expected to be interviewed as part of that internal investigation in the coming days, a source familiar with the matter told MS NOW on Monday.
“He has done an outstanding job in his role by protecting American workers, using fair procedures, and helping Americans gain more skills to improve their lives,” Cheung wrote in his X post.
Chavez-deRemer’s attorney, Nick Oberheiden, said in a statement to MS NOW, “Secretary Chavez-DeRemer did not resign because of the findings that he violated the law. His decision to leave office was his own.”
In a statement posted on social media, Chavez-DeRemer thanked President Donald Trump, saying, “It has been an honor and privilege to serve in this historic administration and to serve the greatest President of my lifetime.”
He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to “meet with workers across the country, listen to their stories, and bring their success to their families.”
“Although my time in the Administration is coming to an end, it does not mean that I will stop fighting for American workers. I look forward to what the future holds as I travel to the private sector,” he wrote.
Sonderling, in the X post, also thanked Trump “for the opportunity to be Acting Secretary of Labor. We will continue to fight to put American workers first.”
The announcement adds to a short but growing list of top officials to resign or be removed from Trump’s second Cabinet.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer speaks during a news conference at the US Capitol about the government shutdown on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
Tom Williams Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Kristi Noem, who headed the Department of Homeland Security, was fired by Trump on March 5, ending a tumultuous period highlighted by national disputes over immigration enforcement in American cities.
Less than a month later, Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, replacing Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. This move came amid reports that the president has been unhappy with the way the Department of Justice under Bondi is handling issues related to the sexual abuse of Jeffrey Epstein.
Workers hang a large portrait of US President Donald Trump next to the US flag on the facade of the Department of Labor headquarters building in Washington, DC, on August 27, 2025.
Drew Anger | AFP | Getty Images
The Ministry of Labor under the leadership of Chavez DeRemer was a source of controversy for other reasons.
The department’s social media accounts have come under fire for spreading propaganda and images linked to right-wing extremist views, including posts that appeared to echo a slogan used by the Nazi Party.
Labor headquarters in Washington was also one of several government buildings, along with the Justice Department, decorated with a large banner of Trump’s face, drawing criticism.
Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, also faced scrutiny after MS NOW and other outlets reported that at least two female employees said they were molested by him at the Department of Labor building.
DeRemer was reportedly barricaded in the building but did not face criminal charges.
