Labor secretary weathers the political storm swirling around her agency

Lori Chavez-DeRemer is working to conduct business as usual in the face of an internal probe that has sidelined key aides and sparked a now-closed criminal investigation of her husband.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is seen following President Donald Trump's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Feb. 24, 2026. | Allison Robbert/AP

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and her team are fighting hard to project an image of business as usual in the face of a sprawling investigation by the department’s internal watchdog that is highlighting political strife at the agency.

Chavez-DeRemer is continuing to travel frequently on behalf of the Trump administration amid the chaos that has sidelined three people in her orbit and sparked a now-closed law enforcement investigation of sexual assault allegations against her husband. Meanwhile, the DOL inspector general’s probe continues to sprawl in ways that could imperil the Labor secretary.

The scandal has weighed heavily on Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican who served a single term in the House before she was defeated in 2024 and whose closest advisers include staffers from her congressional office.

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