New Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer Prioritizes Trump’s Agenda, Fiscal Responsibility, and American Workers
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the newly appointed Secretary of Labor, has wasted no time in setting the tone for her leadership at the agency. In a memo addressed to agency executive staff and department heads, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, Chavez-DeRemer reaffirmed her commitment to complying with President Donald Trump’s executive orders and collaborating with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse within the Department of Labor.
Chavez-DeRemer, confirmed by the Senate with a 67-32 vote and sworn in on Tuesday, expressed her honor in assuming the role of the 30th Secretary of Labor. She emphasized her dedication to working alongside department staff to implement President Trump’s agenda and carry out the agency’s crucial mission.
"It is with a deep sense of responsibility that I step into this role, and I am excited about the opportunity to work alongside each of you to implement President Trump’s agenda and carry out the important mission of the Labor Department," Chavez-DeRemer wrote.
The Secretary outlined the core objectives of the Labor Department, including protecting workers’ rights, ensuring safe working conditions, guaranteeing fair wages, promoting employee training, improving working conditions, advancing job growth opportunities, and securing work-related benefits such as pensions.
Chavez-DeRemer underscored the principle of "Putting American Workers First" as the guiding force behind all departmental efforts, emphasizing its importance in enhancing the lives of workers across the nation. She affirmed that under President Trump’s leadership, the department’s focus would remain on promoting job creation, enhancing workforce development, and ensuring safe working conditions, fair wages, and secure pensions, thereby providing every American with the opportunity to succeed.
She challenged agency staff to actively engage with their teams to identify innovative solutions that can contribute to achieving these goals. Chavez-DeRemer stressed the importance of aligning the Labor Department with the priorities of the Trump administration, emphasizing fiscal responsibility, reducing unnecessary spending, and optimizing resource allocation to ensure taxpayer dollars are used effectively.
"At the direction of the President, the Department of Labor has already saved the American taxpayer $125 million, and this important work must continue to root out waste, fraud, and abuse," she wrote.
The Secretary urged agency heads to conduct thorough reviews of their budgets and operations, seeking opportunities for cost savings that can be redirected toward initiatives that directly benefit American workers and the businesses that drive the economy.
Chavez-DeRemer highlighted that these priorities are central to the department’s mission and essential for serving the American people by creating a level playing field for businesses, unions, and workers. She believes that adhering to principles of fiscal responsibility and efficiency will enable the department to make a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of Americans.
According to Fox News Digital, the Labor Department has already canceled $125 million in contracts, including $32 million allocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training and consulting, as well as the elimination of discriminatory DEI duties from over 100 contracts. The department also shut down internal gender ideology programs. Additionally, the Labor Department canceled $56 million in communication support redundancies and $4.4 million for policy handbook modernization.
Chavez-DeRemer is instructing agency heads to conduct budget reviews and identify opportunities for cost savings, including cutting wasteful contract spending and providing recommendations to reduce redundancies and address low-performing employees, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The Secretary expressed her eagerness to meet with staff individually in the coming days to discuss agency priorities and explore ways to collectively advance the Department’s mission.
"Thank you for your dedication to our mission of Putting American Workers First as we work together on behalf of President Trump to usher in a new Golden Age of economic prosperity," she wrote. "I look forward to collaborating to create a positive impact on the lives of millions of workers and their families."
She concluded her memo with a call to action: "Let’s get to work."
A Department of Labor spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the Secretary is "fired up and ready to start fighting for the American Worker under the leadership of President Trump and his America First Agenda, and that starts with implementing the President’s executive orders and partnering with DOGE to ensure the Labor Department is safeguarding hardworking Americans’ tax dollars."
Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation fills the final Cabinet position for President Trump. Seventeen Democrats joined Republicans in voting to confirm her. She was sworn in at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building by Florida Rep. Laurel Lee.
The Department of Labor has nearly 14,000 employees.
Chavez-DeRemer’s initial actions as Labor Secretary signal a clear departure from previous administrations, with a strong emphasis on fiscal conservatism, adherence to the Trump administration’s policies, and a focus on the needs of American workers. Her commitment to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, coupled with her emphasis on job creation and workforce development, suggests a proactive approach to addressing the challenges facing the American workforce. The cancellation of DEI-related contracts and the closure of gender ideology programs further underscore her alignment with the Trump administration’s conservative social agenda.
It remains to be seen how these policies will impact the broader labor landscape and the lives of American workers. However, Chavez-DeRemer’s initial actions have undoubtedly set a clear direction for the Department of Labor under her leadership.
