US labour secretary Chavez-DeRemer steps down from Trump administration

White House communications director Steven Cheung said Chavez-DeRemer would be moving to a position in the private sector. In a brief statement issued after the announcement, she described her tenure as “an honour and a privilege”.

Deputy labour secretary Keith Sonderling will assume the role of acting secretary with immediate effect.

Her exit comes amid a period of turbulence within the administration, following a series of recent changes at senior level. Earlier this month, attorney general Pam Bondi was dismissed, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was replaced in March.

Chavez-DeRemer had also faced mounting scrutiny in recent weeks, with several media outlets reporting that her conduct was under review by the department’s internal watchdog. However, officials have not publicly confirmed whether any formal investigation is under way. The Labour Department’s inspector general declined to comment, and no details of any findings have been released.

According to reports, inquiries were said to involve communications sent by the former secretary, her senior aides and family members to junior staff. Separately, her husband had reportedly been barred from entering the department’s headquarters in Washington after allegations of inappropriate behaviour raised by employees.

Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican congresswoman from Oregon, served a single term in the House of Representatives before losing her re-election bid. During her time in Congress, she was among a small group of Republicans who supported labour-friendly legislation, including the Protecting the Right to Organise Act, a measure backed by Democrats and major unions.

The AFL-CIO had previously welcomed her nomination, citing her legislative record, though it expressed reservations about the administration’s broader stance on organised labour.

Her departure adds to growing uncertainty within the cabinet, as the administration continues to face both political and internal challenges.

With IANS inputs