Lori Chavez-DeRemer's resignation as secretary of the Department of Labor this week closes a troubled chapter marked by scandal and internal upheaval, but workers at the agency say the damage to institutional stability may take far longer to repair.
Chavez-DeRemer stepped down amid multiple investigations into her conduct, including allegations of an affair with a subordinate, misuse of travel funds, and steering grants to politically connected figures. Her husband was barred from agency headquarters following allegations of sexual assault from at least two staffers.
In announcing her departure on social media, Chavez-DeRemer rejected all allegations and blamed what she called "high-ranked deep state actors" coordinating with media outlets to undermine the Trump administration's agenda.
Labor union officials at the agency pushed back sharply against her framing. Omar Algeciras, vice president of AFGE Local 2391, which represents Department of Labor workers, said Chavez-DeRemer's characterization of career staff as "deep state" was both inaccurate and demoralizing.
"Career staff have kept this agency moving despite constant turbulence," Algeciras said. "As a union leader, I see first-hand how employees continue to deliver for workers across the country under difficult conditions."
Algeciras also alleged that Chavez-DeRemer never signed a required harassment policy statement during her tenure, a claim the Department of Labor did not address.
Her exit marks the third high-profile departure from Trump's cabinet in recent weeks, following U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
A Department Gutted by Budget Cuts
During her brief time in office, Chavez-DeRemer oversaw sweeping reductions at the labor department. The agency lost roughly 20% of its workforce through buyouts, resignations, and terminations. International grant programs worth millions of dollars were eliminated.
The cuts coincided with a broader deregulation push that labor advocates say has stripped away protections for vulnerable workers. In July 2025, the agency announced rollbacks that would rescind overtime and minimum wage protections for home care and domestic workers, eliminate farm worker labor standards, and allow employers to pay workers with disabilities below minimum wage.
Morale at the agency has plummeted, according to staff who spoke earlier about conditions at the labor department. Workers reported threats against those who communicated with media outlets and a general atmosphere of intimidation.
Last year, controversy erupted when union leaders criticized the department's social media presence for posts they said echoed Nazi rhetoric. The staffer responsible for those posts was subsequently transferred to the Department of Homeland Security.
Cathy Creighton, director of Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations Buffalo Co-Lab, offered a scathing assessment of Chavez-DeRemer's record. "Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer sat by as her department's budget was slashed, as worker protections for other agencies were dismantled, and placed a three-story portrait of the president on the labor department building," Creighton said.
Congressional Democrats from the Labor Caucus echoed that criticism, issuing a joint statement that faulted Chavez-DeRemer for advancing an anti-worker agenda while facing removal only for personal scandals rather than policy decisions. "Her tenure leaves workers with less protections and greater economic insecurity," the statement said.
Chavez-DeRemer arrived at the labor department with backing from an unlikely ally. Teamsters President Sean O'Brien had championed her nomination shortly after Trump's 2024 election victory, expressing gratitude in February 2025 for what he called putting "American workers first." The Teamsters have not responded to requests for comment on her resignation.
With her departure, the agency faces an uncertain future. Algeciras warned that without stable leadership, respect for the workforce, and a genuine commitment to the labor department's core mission, the institution's challenges will only deepen.
Author James Rodriguez: "Chavez-DeRemer's blame-the-deep-state exit is a familiar Trump playbook move, but it rings hollow when career staffers who actually do the work say the real problem was at the top."
Comments