Well, the betting markets were on this one the other day, and I hadn't been paying attention at all.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is the Cabinet member most likely to leave the Trump administration next, according to Polymarket.
— AF Post (@AFpost) April 18, 2026
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/dgmUmn6PNU
And then just about an hour ago, as I'm writing this (so, 5:30 EST):
BOOM BOOM, OUT WENT THE LIGHTS
New: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez DeRemer has resigned as secretary, sources tell NOTUS.
— Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) April 20, 2026
Official announcement expected soon.https://t.co/Xf1VzQkSpW
Chavez-DeRemer was always a controversial pick. From the very beginning, there were grumblings about Trump nominating the former Oregon congresswoman with the really strong Teamsters Union ties, even though her hearings were without any of the fireworks that so often plagued other Trump nominees.
The Teamsters were so thrilled, they even issued their own statement when she was confirmed and railed against the few senators who'd tried to squash it.
Following the bipartisan confirmation vote of former Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor, Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien issued the following statement:
“Lori Chavez-DeRemer will do an excellent job leading the U.S. Department of Labor. We are committed to fighting alongside her to protect the working class and strengthen our nation by putting workers first.
“Chavez-DeRemer earned support on both sides of the aisle, highlighting her ability to bridge divides and serve all Americans effectively. The Teamsters thank the bipartisan coalition of senators who put the needs of working people ahead of politics, and President Donald Trump for boldly nominating her to oversee the Department of Labor.
“There is no doubt Chavez-DeRemer is the best person for the job. We were proud to stand with her from the start.
“But let’s be clear — hardworking Americans should not forget who voted against them by trying to tank this nomination. Democratic holdouts participated in Chuck Schumer’s political theater instead of working together to get something done for working people. Unsurprisingly, Rand Paul did what he always does — shilled for Big Business and the union-busting National Right to Work Foundation.
But that was close to the high point of her short tenure. Unlike the majority of the wheels-to-the-grindstone Trump cabinet, Chavez-DeRemer took over Labor and started to take off like she was starring in a season of 'Jersey Shore.'
Scandals of every imaginable stripe began to explode, some even involving her husband's interactions with Labor employees. Those were apparently so aggressive and offensive in nature, he was banned from the Labor Department headquarters.
THAT is no bueno.
...The daughter of a Teamsters member, Chavez-DeRemer’s political career garnered support from some of Oregon’s largest employers and unions. She sailed through the confirmation process with bipartisan support.
But in recent months, a series of news reports have detailed a wide range of allegations against Chavez-DeRemer, her top aides and her husband, Shawn DeRemer. She has been 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.
In addition, female employees accused her husband of sexual harassment, prompting the department to prohibit him from entering the headquarters, The New York Times reported. Chavez-DeRemer and her husband have denied wrongdoing.
Tensions grew further amid a fraud and misconduct investigation by the department’s inspector general’s office. Three department staffers accused the labor secretary and her husband of creating a hostile work environment, including by retaliating against employees who had cooperated with the probe, according to news reports from the Times and The Washington Post.
Starting in January of this year, a department watchdog has been digging through all the allegations against Chavez-DeRemer, and that investigation has been roiling the department.
Anthony D’Esposito, who leads the Labor Department’s in-house watchdog, has spent this year investigating damaging allegations against agency Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and her closest aides, a probe that has already prompted multiple people to resign from the agency.
Dozens of DOL staffers have spoken with D’Esposito’s office since he opened the internal inquiry in January, according to two department officials who were granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. Investigators are also poring over information pulled from travel records, department documents and subpoenas issued to outside parties, including hotels where Chavez-DeRemer stayed during official travel. The Labor secretary has denied wrongdoing.
The alleged culture in the secretary’s office and the inspector general’s digging has created an awkward dance for the two Trump appointees. That could prompt Chavez-DeRemer’s exit as the White House juggles multiple high-level vacancies and crises ahead of the midterms. A messy departure would also risk muddying the White House’s pro-worker campaign messaging and its efforts to stave off criticism of the president’s stewardship of the economy.
“It is such a f**king distraction,” said one of the DOL officials, who was granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics.
This January is also when the NY Post broke the story that, according to another whistleblower, Chavez-DeRemer was doing more than checking the loads in her security guard's service weapon - if you get my drift - and daydrinking at the office.
Well.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is under an internal investigation following an explosive complaint alleging she’s been “abusing her position” by pursuing an “inappropriate” relationship with a subordinate, according to sources and documents reviewed by The Post.
Chavez-DeRemer, 57, has welcomed her alleged paramour at least three times to her DC apartment and twice into her hotel room while traveling, alleges a complaint filed with the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Inspector General last week, which has since begun a probe.
The former Oregon congresswoman is also accused of drinking in her office during the workday and committing “travel fraud” by having her chief of staff and deputy chief of staff “make up” official trips to destinations where Chavez-DeRemer can spend time with family or friends on the taxpayers’ dime.
Besides $30M rounding errors on my financials, these D.C. girls have all my 'oops' covered. And I thought I was special.
I mean, some of this reported stuff, if it's true, is the 'boss from hell' that staffers are claiming. This Daily Mail report is lurid.
...The departure was the latest development following accusations of boozy work trips to strip clubs and casinos, and a 'stash' of liquor in her Washington DC office.
Chavez-DeRemer and her ex-deputy chief of staff sent texts asking staffers to bring them alcohol during work trips.
Part of the insult to injury, as far as the alleged boyfriend goes, isn't just the tacky crassness of married lady boss doing the help. It's also that the Labor Secretary took herself and him off to a swanky Vegas resort during the government shutdown for some poolside security therapy.
Yes, while people in her department, the military, and elsewhere weren't getting paid, she was off splashing and smiling with the boytoy, and there's plenty of proof.
THAT was no bueno.
...Chavez-DeRemer and the staffer traveled together to the Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas in late October to celebrate her niece’s 40th birthday party while the federal government was shut down, photos and videos obtained by The Post show.
The complaint said that additional video footage from the hotel shows the pair engaging in unprofessional behavior on at least two trips to Vegas in 2025. The Post has not seen the alleged footage.
When word of the alleged misconduct began circulating in the department, Chavez-DeRemer instructed her chief of staff, Han, to “leave it alone,” the complaint stated.
It also seems to have been the last straw, particularly as she was due to appear before Congress in a hearing that promised to be especially bruising, considering the scandals swirling. Insiders were expecting Trump to pull the trigger on it himself, but she beat him to it.
So she's out as of this afternoon.
Everyone is saying the appropriate and civil things, as one would imagine and expect.
...A Labor Department spokesperson didn’t respond to comment. But White House Communications Director Steven Cheung confirmed NOTUS’ reporting.
“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 lives,” Cheung wrote in a post on X.
Cheung announced that Keith Sonderling will take Chavez-DeRemer’s place as acting Secretary of Labor, though it’s unclear who the president would select as her formal replacement.
I haven't found anyone weeping, even crocodile tears, at her departure.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned.
— America First Insight (@AF_Insight) April 20, 2026
She was our least favorite pick out of Trump's entire cabinet, and we look forward to a new Labor Secretary who will take foreigners taking American jobs far more seriously. pic.twitter.com/63pXGj0tXH
All I can say is that this happened in the nick of time. Of all the departments that need to be ready to rock and roll the second Iran wraps up - and it will - Labor is the one, and it doesn't need a party hardy at the helm of either sex.
The rest of the Trump cabinet works too hard to stand for it, and the country deserves the best.
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