Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned on Monday, April 20, 2026. She is the third member of President Trump's cabinet to leave in just six weeks. Her exit ends months of growing scandal at the U.S. Department of Labor.
The White House said she is leaving to take a job in the private sector. News reports describe a long list of serious complaints — including claims of an affair with a bodyguard, drinking alcohol on the job, and using federal staff to plan personal trips on the taxpayer's dime.
She served as Labor Secretary for about 13 months after being sworn in in March 2025. Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling took over immediately as acting secretary.
The Labor Department sets the rules for wages, overtime, workplace safety, child labor, and unions. A sudden change at the top can slow good decisions or accelerate controversial rollbacks — either way, tens of millions of workers feel downstream effects.
| Name | Lori Chavez-DeRemer |
| Role | 30th U.S. Secretary of Labor |
| Sworn in | March 2025 |
| Resigned | April 20, 2026 |
| Tenure | Approximately 13 months |
| Previous job | U.S. Representative, Oregon's 5th District (2023–2025) |
| Replacement | Keith Sonderling (acting) |
| Cabinet exit number | Third of Trump's second term |
What Happened
Her exit matters beyond a typical cabinet departure. Chavez-DeRemer was a rare Republican who backed the PRO Act, a bill to make it easier for workers to form unions. Teamsters President Sean O'Brien personally lobbied Trump to pick her. She was pitched as a bridge between the MAGA base and organized labor — a bridge that just collapsed.
On Monday afternoon, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung announced the news on X, saying Chavez-DeRemer would take a private sector job and praising her tenure. Reporters tied the timing to a brewing crisis: two Republicans close to the president told NOTUS that Trump planned to fire her this week ahead of a scheduled congressional hearing on Wednesday, April 22 — and that she resigned first.
Her lawyer, Nick Oberheiden, said the resignation is not the result of legal wrongdoing. Chavez-DeRemer called serving an honor. The White House did not name her next employer.
Why She Stepped Down
Trouble surfaced in January 2026 when the New York Post reported that the Labor Department's Inspector General was reviewing a complaint alleging a relationship with a member of her security detail (who soon left her detail). Over the following months, the New York Times, CNN, and NPR reported additional allegations, including:
- Alcohol kept in her office and drinking during work hours
- Using official travel for personal purposes and asking aides to plan cover stories
- Staff being sent to pick up liquor
In April, the Times reported that Chavez-DeRemer and family members sent personal messages to young staff — including a text from her father asking a staffer visiting town to keep plans "private." Her husband, Shawn DeRemer, had reportedly been banned from Labor headquarters after at least two staffers said he touched them inappropriately; prosecutors closed that matter without charges.
Staff turnover
- Chief of staff and deputy chief of staff resigned in early March 2026
- A senior aide was fired in late March after a lengthy Inspector General interview
- Multiple aides were fired or placed on leave as the probe widened
Timeline
Who is Keith Sonderling?
Sonderling is a Florida attorney confirmed as deputy secretary in March 2025 (53–46). He previously led the Wage and Hour Division in Trump's first term and served as an EEOC commissioner. He has emphasized AI in the workplace, dissented from some EEOC gender-identity guidance, and supports treating many gig workers as independent contractors. The White House has not said whether he will be nominated for the permanent job.
Trump's shrinking cabinet
Cabinet exits — Trump's second term
2026
2026
2026
Who might be next?
What it means for workers
The department had already begun rolling back dozens of workplace rules. That agenda is expected to continue under an acting secretary who shares the administration's deregulatory posture.
Major rollbacks in motion (illustrative)
Economists warn that thinning out the Bureau of Labor Statistics could weaken jobs data that businesses, the Federal Reserve, and households rely on. Separately, canceled grants that supported international child-labor monitoring end a channel the U.S. has used for decades alongside partners.
What this means for you
Workplace rules can change quickly
Overtime, safety, and contractor classifications are all in flux. Track DOL Federal Register notices if your industry is sensitive to rule changes.
Home health funding models may shift
Proposals affecting federal wage floors for aides could ripple to Medicaid budgets and agency staffing.
Data quality is a civic issue
When headline jobs numbers lose precision, Congress and the Fed make decisions with blurrier inputs — that eventually hits mortgage and credit markets.
Senate confirmation still matters
Any permanent replacement must clear the Senate. Hearings are public — constituents can weigh in before votes, including on other executive-branch controversies that shape the news cycle.
The civic lesson
Inspectors general, career lawyers, and beat reporters turn anonymous tips into accountability. When those channels work in parallel with congressional oversight, the public gets a clearer picture of how power is exercised — even if outcomes are messy.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- NOTUS — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned
- NBC News — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigns
- CNN — Lori Chavez-DeRemer out as Labor secretary
- U.S. Department of Labor — Deputy Secretary Keith E. Sonderling
- NPR — Coverage of the resignation