Commentary: Trump's Labor secretary departs, leaving scandal and vast disappointment in her wake

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It has long become clear that those of us who saw a glimmer of hope in President Trump’s appointment of Lori Chavez-DeRemer as secretary of Labor got snowed.It wasn’t just, or even chiefly, the miasma of sleaze and corruption that seemed to surround her wherever she went.Or her slavish sucking up to Trump in public, notably at a Cabinet meeting in which she pleaded with Trump to send his immigration goons into Portland, Ore., to “crack down.” (“Thank you for what you’re doing with your agents on ICE,” she said at the August 2025 session.) Fun fact: She had represented a Portland suburb as a Republican for a single House term.

No.It was the gulf between the expectations, even among Democrats, that she might be a decent pick for the job, and the reality.

We fought against sweatshopsWe took on big co.rporations that were cheating their employees.

We kept workers safe.— Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, recalling his departments accomplishments under Bill ClintonAfter all, she had been one of only three Republicans in the House to vote in favor of the so-called PRO Act, which would significantly strengthen collective bargaining rights.(The measure passed the House in 2019 and 2021 but hasn’t gotten out of committee in the current Congress.)As I reported after her nomination, labor activists and pro-labor politicians made encouraging noises about her.

Among them was Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): “It’s a big deal that one of the few Republican lawmakers who have endorsed the PRO Act could lead the Department of Labor,” Warren said.

“If Chavez-DeRemer commits as Labor secretary to strengthen labor unions and promote worker power, she’s a strong candidate for the job.”Commentary on economics and more from a Pulitzer Prize winner.By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, which include arbitration and a class action waiver.

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