Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, center, listens while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington.
Evan Vucci / AP
Facing mounting allegations of misconduct, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives before rising to the president’s Cabinet, is stepping down from her position as America’s labor boss.
Chavez-DeRemer “will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector,” a White House spokesperson said Monday.
“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,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said.
Chavez-DeRemer is a small business owner and the former mayor of Happy Valley. She served one term in Congress, representing Oregon’s 5th Congressional District as a Republican. Trump tapped her to serve as labor secretary weeks after she lost her reelection bid to Democratic U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum in 2024.
The daughter of a Teamsters member, Chavez-DeRemer’s political career garnered support from some of Oregon’s largest employers and unions. She sailed through the confirmation process with bipartisan support.
But in recent months, a series of news reports have detailed a wide range of allegations against Chavez-DeRemer, her top aides and her husband, Shawn DeRemer. She has been accused of abusing department resources, having an affair with a member of her security team and being largely absent as dysfunction and leadership turnover embroiled the agency.
In addition, female employees accused her husband of sexual harassment, prompting the department to prohibit him from entering the headquarters, The New York Times reported. Chavez-DeRemer and her husband have denied wrongdoing.
Tensions grew further amid a fraud and misconduct investigation by the department’s inspector general’s office. Three department staffers accused the labor secretary and her husband of creating a hostile work environment, including by retaliating against employees who had cooperated with the probe, according to news reports from the Times and The Washington Post.
Chavez-DeRemer was the sixth Oregonian to serve on a presidential cabinet, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive.
This story may be updated.
