Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned, a senior White House official said Monday.
According to White House director of communications Steven Cheung, Chavez-DeRemer would be taking 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,” Cheung announced online.
The news was first reported by NOTUS.
Keith Sonderling will take on the role of acting Secretary of Labor, Cheung said.
Her resignation comes shortly after President Donald Trump dismissed both Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Chavez-DeRemer said in her own post that serving as Labor Secretary was an “honor and a privilege.” She said she was proud that she made progress in advancing the Trump administration’s mission to always put the “American worker first.”
“Thank you, President Trump,” she said. “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 was under investigation
Chavez-DeRemer had been facing an investigation from the department’s inspector general over potential misconduct. The New York Times reported earlier this year that the investigation was examining if the secretary used taxpayer dollars to fund personal travel.
Additionally, Chavez-DeRemer was reportedly having an affair with a member of her security team and her husband has been banned from the department headquarters after female staff members accused him of making sexual advances.
The Times reported that the federal government last year paid close to $1 million to settle an employment discrimination claim in her office. The report from the Times was published about a year after she assumed her Cabinet position in March 2025.
The New York Post reported on the inspector general’s investigation and noted that Chavez-DeRemer, a former Oregon congresswoman, was also accused of drinking in her office during the work day.
Several of the Labor Department’s top staff members were placed on leave and ultiimately left their positions permanently, NBC News reported.
Her attorney, Nick Oberheiden, told the outlet that the resignation was not a result of “legal wrongdoings” but instead a “personal decision.”
Chavez-DeRemer lost her congressional reelection campaign in November 2024 and soon afterward she was floated to President Donald Trump to be the labor secretary.