US labour secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned from President Donald Trump's Cabinet, the White House announced early Tuesday.
Chavez-DeRemer's exit makes her the third cabinet member – all women – to depart during the President's second term, following homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and attorney general Pam Bondi, The Guardian reported.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung broke the news in a post on X, framing the departure in positive terms. "Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the administration to take a position in the private sector," Cheung wrote.
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"She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labour practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives. Keith Sonderling will take on the role of Acting Secretary of Labour." Cheung offered no explanation for her departure.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take 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…
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) April 20, 2026
Behind the scenes, however, a series of news reports detailed a wide range of allegations against Chavez-DeRemer, her top aides, and her husband. She was 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.
Female employees also accused her husband, Shawn DeRemer, of sexual harassment, prompting the department to prohibit him from entering headquarters.
Both have denied any wrongdoing. But tensions escalated further amid a fraud and misconduct investigation by the department inspector general's office.
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Chavez-DeRemer, born April 7, 1968, in Santa Clara, California, had a rise rooted in local public service. Hailing from a farming community, she became the first college graduate in her family, eventually settling in Happy Valley, Oregon, with her husband, where together they founded an anesthesia management company and several mental health clinics across the Pacific Northwest. She became the first woman and the first Latina to serve as mayor of Happy Valley, and later won a seat in Congress representing Oregon's 5th congressional district — one of the first Latinas to represent the state in Washington.
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