Lori Chavez-DeRemer was brought into President Trump’s Cabinet in an unusual move for a Republican — endorsed by Teamsters President Sean O’Brien because she had backed the PRO Act, legislation to facilitate union organizing. On Monday, her 13-month run as Labor Secretary came to an abrupt end amid a swirl of scandal and a looming congressional interrogation.
The former Oregon congresswoman, who lost her reelection campaign in November 2024 representing the state’s 5th District, resigned just days before a bruising congressional hearing where Democrats were prepared to grill her over mounting allegations. She becomes the third Cabinet official to exit during Trump’s second term, and the third consecutive woman to leave the administration’s highest levels.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung announced that Chavez-DeRemer would “be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector” and praised her on X for doing “a phenomenal job” protecting American workers. Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling will serve as acting labor secretary, Cheung confirmed.
Chavez-DeRemer’s departure caps a tenure marked by an expanding inspector general investigation, claims she had an affair with a subordinate, accusations that senior aides committed travel fraud, and sexual assault allegations against her husband at department headquarters.
Her attorney, Nick Oberheiden, maintained the resignation “is not the result of legal wrongdoings. It is a personal decision.” Chavez-DeRemer herself thanked Trump on social media, saying it had “been an honor and a privilege to serve in this historic Administration.”
But in a separate statement, she went on the attack, claiming the allegations against her “have been peddled by high-ranked deep state actors who have been coordinating with the one-sided news media.”
Trouble began surfacing in January 2026 when the New York Post broke news of a whistleblower complaint targeting the secretary. The complaint alleged she consumed alcohol in the office during work hours, created a hostile work environment, and was involved in an extramarital relationship with a member of her security detail. That security guard was put on leave in January before ultimately resigning.
Two top Chavez-DeRemer aides, Jihun Han and Rebecca Wright, were accused in the same whistleblower complaint of “travel fraud” — allegedly fabricating official trips to cities where the secretary had personal interests. Reports indicated Chavez-DeRemer wanted to attend a UFC fight in Chicago, a Morgan Wallen concert, and visit friends and family around the country, and reportedly asked staff to build work trips around those events. Both were placed on administrative leave in January and resigned in early March.
A third senior staff member, Melissa Robey, said in late March that she had been fired shortly after giving a four-hour interview to the Office of the Inspector General.
More explosive allegations emerged in February when reporting disclosed that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Shawn DeRemer, an anesthesiologist from Portland, Oregon, had been barred from Labor Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. At least two women working at the agency accused him of sexual assault involving inappropriate touching. One D.C. Metropolitan Police Department report cited a female staffer reporting “sexual contact against her will” that allegedly occurred on Dec. 18 inside the department building.
Federal prosecutors and Washington, D.C., police investigated but ultimately closed the case without bringing charges. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, said “based upon the evidence presented to this office in relation to the video, there is no indication of a crime.” An attorney for Shawn DeRemer said he “categorically denies every allegation.” The allegations were later re-filed at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission along with workplace complaints.
She was confirmed by the Senate in March 2025 and became the first Cabinet secretary from Oregon since Neil Goldschmidt served under President Jimmy Carter. She was 58 at the time of her resignation.
Acting Secretary Keith Sonderling, who had already been handling much of the department’s day-to-day operations while Chavez-DeRemer conducted a 50-state “America at Work” listening tour, is being eyed as a potential permanent nominee. He brings nearly a decade of policy experience at the Department of Labor and the EEOC.
The White House faces a tricky confirmation battle, though. Any nominee must clear the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and the November midterms loom large. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., offered a blunt assessment of the outgoing secretary: “She demonstrated a lot of wisdom in resigning.”
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, was less diplomatic. Chavez-DeRemer’s tenure, she said, represented “a failure of leadership.”
