U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is facing mounting pressure after three civil rights complaints were filed against her within the Labor Department. The complaints come from senior female staff members and describe a pattern of troubling behavior, including a hostile work environment, retaliation, and misuse of official resources.
[Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican, is a former U.S. Representative for Oregon’s 5th District (2023-2025), and former mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon (2011-2019). This news expands upon the investigation into her misconduct first reported in January.]
Some of the allegations are especially serious. One complaint claims Chavez-DeRemer asked staff to run personal errands—like picking up dry cleaning or handling tasks at her apartment—and even to assist her husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer. Her husband is also accused by multiple women of making unwanted sexual advances, and while a police investigation was opened earlier this year, authorities ultimately declined to press charges.
The situation is unfolding alongside a broader investigation by the department’s inspector general, which is looking into possible fraud and misconduct involving Chavez-DeRemer and her top aides. That investigation is reportedly in its final stages, and several key staff members have already been pushed out or fired.
Altogether, the complaints paint a picture of a deeply strained workplace at the highest levels of the Labor Department—raising questions not just about individual behavior, but about leadership and accountability inside a major federal agency.
Summarized from “Labor Secretary Faces Civil Rights Complaints From Department Staff” by Rebecca Davis O’Brien, The New York Times, April 9, 2026.