In a sudden development announced by the White House on Monday, United States Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down from her cabinet post to accept a new role in the private sector. Her exit comes after months of growing public criticism and an ongoing internal probe into alleged improper conduct by the 58-year-old cabinet leader, whose department oversees federal workplace regulations and manages the national unemployment insurance system.
The departure of Chavez-DeRemer marks the latest high-profile turnover in the Trump administration, following two other major cabinet shakeups in recent months: the removal of Pam Bondi from the post of Attorney General in early April, and the March firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who led the administration’s restrictive immigration policy initiatives.
In the official public statement shared Monday afternoon on the social platform X by White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, the administration highlighted what it framed as Chavez-DeRemer’s successful tenure. The statement praised her for doing a “phenomenal job” in the role, crediting her with protecting American workers, implementing equitable labor standards, and expanding upskilling opportunities to help US workers boost their long-term career prospects.
Cheung also confirmed that Keith Sonderling will immediately step into the position of acting Labor Secretary to lead the department until a permanent successor is named.
Reports of an investigation into Chavez-DeRemer first emerged in January, when the New York Post broke the news that the Labor Department’s independent inspector general had opened a probe into allegations of workplace misconduct against the secretary. As this is a developing breaking news story, additional details surrounding the investigation and the circumstances of the secretary’s departure are still emerging. Updates will be posted as more information becomes available, and readers can access real-time alerts by following BBC Breaking on X or downloading the BBC News mobile application.