When Donald Trump tapped Lori Chavez-DeRemer as the Trump Secretary of Labor, the collective sound you heard from the D.C. establishment was a sharp, confused intake of breath. It wasn't just a surprise. It was a complete pivot. For years, the Department of Labor (DOL) has been a battlefield between hardcore deregulation and pro-union mandates. Then comes Lori.
She isn't your typical Republican pick. Honestly, she's the daughter of a Teamster. That matters more than most people realize in a town that runs on pedigree.
Why the 2025-2026 Shift is Different
The 30th Secretary of Labor took the reins on March 11, 2025, after a 67-32 Senate confirmation that saw 17 Democrats crossing the aisle. That kind of bipartisan support is basically a unicorn in today's political climate. But let’s be real—the honeymoon was short. By early 2026, the reality of running a massive federal agency under a "Make America Great Again" mandate began to clash with Chavez-DeRemer’s history of supporting things like the PRO Act.
People usually assume a Republican labor secretary will just spend all day tearing up safety regulations. That's a huge oversimplification. Chavez-DeRemer spent the first week of 2026 on a four-state "America at Work" tour through the Midwest. She wasn't just talking to CEOs. She was standing in muddy construction sites in North Dakota and hospitals in Iowa.
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The Policy Tug-of-War
Right now, the DOL is juggling three massive issues that affect your paycheck and your safety:
- The Overtime Threshold: This is the big one. Under the previous administration, there was a push to make millions more people eligible for overtime. The Trump DOL hasn't scrapped it entirely, but they are looking at a "middle ground" that won't crush small businesses while still acknowledging that $35k a year is a tough baseline for a "manager."
- Apprenticeships vs. Degrees: Basically, the goal is to break the "college or bust" mentality. Chavez-DeRemer and the Department of Education (led by Linda McMahon) have been fast-tracking programs that let you get paid to learn a trade without 50 grand in student debt.
- The Gig Economy: Are you a "contractor" or an "employee"? The DOL's new rules are leaning back toward the 2021 standards, which give companies more flexibility but have labor unions sounding the alarm.
Comparing the "Old" Trump DOL to the New One
If you remember Alex Acosta or Eugene Scalia from Trump’s first term, this feels different. Scalia was a surgical deregulator. He knew the law inside and out and used it to peel back what he saw as "regulatory overreach."
Chavez-DeRemer is more of a populist. She’s trying to balance the "worker first" rhetoric of the 2024 campaign with the "business-friendly" needs of a Republican base. It’s a tightrope. A very thin, very high tightrope. For instance, while she’s pushing for more apprenticeship funding, she’s also overseen significant cuts to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) as part of a broader government-wide push to trim the "administrative state."
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What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that the Trump Secretary of Labor is just a figurehead for "union busting." In reality, Chavez-DeRemer has been one of the only Republicans to cosponsor the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act. She’s in a weird spot. She has to satisfy a president who wants to "drain the swamp" of federal bureaucracy while keeping the blue-collar voters who put him there happy.
You’ve probably seen the headlines about "Project Firewall." That’s the partnership she’s been touting lately. It’s supposed to streamline federal enforcement against discriminatory hiring while reducing the "red tape" for companies that are actually trying to follow the rules. Whether it works or just creates a new layer of bureaucracy is still the million-dollar question.
Surprising Details from the Trenches
- The 50-State Tour: She is actually trying to visit every state to meet workers. Most secretaries stay in the Frances Perkins Building in D.C.
- The "Teamster" Factor: Having the daughter of a union member lead the DOL under a Republican president has made for some very awkward meetings with the AFL-CIO. They like her record but hate the administration’s overall platform.
- The AI Mandate: In early 2026, she issued a statement about "AI displacement." The DOL is currently looking at how to protect workers whose jobs are being replaced by Large Language Models without stifling innovation. It’s a mess.
Real Talk: Does This Help the Average Worker?
If you're a plumber, an apprentice, or a small business owner, the current DOL is trying to make your life easier by cutting some of the paperwork. If you're a remote tech worker or a gig freelancer, things are a bit more "wild west." The protections you might have expected a few years ago are shifting toward a "personal responsibility" and "market-driven" model.
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Actionable Insights for 2026
If you are an employer or a worker trying to navigate this landscape, don't just wait for the news to hit. Here is what you should actually do:
- Audit Your Pay Scales Now: With the 2026 wage and hour updates, the definition of "pay scale" in many states (like California) has expanded to include bonuses and stock options. The federal DOL is watching how these state laws interact with federal standards.
- Look into Industry-Recognized Apprenticeships: If you're a business struggling to find talent, the Trump DOL has made it much easier to start your own training program that qualifies for federal recognition without the old-school "registered" headaches.
- Watch the Overtime Rulings: We expect a final rule on the salary threshold by mid-2026. If you have employees earning between $35,000 and $45,000, you need to have a budget plan for both scenarios: either raising their pay or switching them to hourly.
- Review Your Independent Contractor Status: If you rely on 1099 workers, the current "economic reality" test is slightly more favorable to businesses than it was in 2023, but it's still being litigated in several circuits. Ensure your contracts are tight and reflect actual day-to-day control.
The 2026 labor landscape is moving fast. Between the "America at Work" initiatives and the aggressive push to return education to the states, the Trump Secretary of Labor isn't just checking boxes—she's trying to rewrite the rules of the American workplace. Whether that leads to a "Worker's Paradise" or a "Corporate Dream" depends entirely on which side of the paycheck you’re on.