WASHINGTON D.C. — Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned as U.S. Secretary of Labor following controversies during her tenure at the Department of Labor. She was under investigation over claims that she had an affair with a subordinate and that she misused travel funds, while her aides allegedly steered grants to politically connected figures. Chavez-DeRemer's husband had been banned from the Department of Labor headquarters over allegations of sexual assault by at least two staffers.

Chavez-DeRemer denied the allegations. "The allegations against me, my family, and my team have been peddled by high-ranked deep state actors who have been coordinating with the one-sided news media and continue to undermine President Trump's mission," she said.

Under her leadership, the department reduced its workforce by about 20% through buyouts, resignations, and firings, and eliminated millions of dollars in international grants. In July 2025, the department announced a deregulation agenda that included rescinding overtime and minimum wage protections for homecare and domestic workers, rolling back farm worker labor protections, and withdrawing a rule that would prevent employers from paying workers with disabilities a sub-minimum wage. In January 2026, the department transferred its social media staffer to the Department of Homeland Security following criticisms of the agency's social media posts.

Omar Algeciras, vice-president of AFGE Local 2391, which represents workers at the department, said Chavez-DeRemer never signed a harassment policy statement for the agency despite it being a requirement. "Labeling these workers as 'deep state' dismisses the mission and the people who carry it out every day," he said. "Career staff have kept this agency moving despite constant turbulence. As a union leader, I see first-hand how employees continue to deliver for workers across the country under difficult conditions," Algeciras added.

Donald Norcross, Mark Pocan, Steven Horsford and Debbie Dingell, co-chairs of the Congressional Labor Caucus, issued a joint statement criticizing her leadership. "Secretary Chavez-DeRemer advanced the administration's anti-worker agenda, facing removal only for the scandals she was involved in, and not the decisions she made that reduced oversight of workplace safety and enforcement of labor laws, leaving workers more vulnerable to injury, wage theft and exploitation. Her tenure leaves workers with less protections and greater economic insecurity," they said.

The Teamsters had supported Chavez-DeRemer's nomination. The union's president pushed for her selection shortly after Donald Trump won the November 2024 election, and Trump was photographed with Chavez-DeRemer and the union president during the announcement of her nomination.