Employers should prepare for a wave of U.S. Department of Labor (“Labor Department”) guidance and other actions defining and implementing President Trump’s labor and employment policy agenda as new Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer and several key politically appointed Labor Department agency leaders took office this week. Employers and contractors impacted by Labor Department rules and enforcement should monitor Labor Department developments for policy or enforcement changes impacting their workforce policies and prepare to respond quickly to new developments.
Secretary of Labor Chavez-Deremer
Chavez-Deremer was sworn in as the new Secretary of Labor on Tuesday, March 11, after the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination by a vote of 67-32 on March 10. Prior to her nomination by President Trump, Chavez-Deremer served in the House of Representatives for the 5th Congressional District of Oregon, where she served on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. While in Congress, Chavez-DeRemer’s backing for legislation that included provisions easing barriers to union organization earned her a pro-labor reputation won support for her nomination from Democrat Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I) and opposition from Republican Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky).
In a memorandum reportedly sent to agency heads within the Department of Labor, Chavez-Deremer reportedly embraced the directives of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) and instructed department heads to move quickly to review of budgets and identify opportunities for cost savings by eliminating wasteful contract spending, cutting redundancies and cutting low-performing employees. a source told Fox News Digital.
Other Labor Department Agency Heads Starting Work This Week
On March 13, the Department of Labor announced the following political appointees are joining the Department’s leadership team:
Bureau of International Labor Affairs
John Clark will serve as policy advisor to the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. Most recently, he worked on trade, transportation, and China policy matters at a Washington, D.C.-based industry association. Clark is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law and Florida State University.
Employment and Training Administration
Amy Simon will serve as principal deputy assistant secretary of the Employment and Training Administration. Previously, Simon was founder and owner of the boutique consulting firm, Simon Advisory. From 2019 to 2021, she served as chief of staff and acting deputy assistant secretary for the Employment and Training Administration in the first Trump Administration.
Marek Laco will serve as the agency’s chief of staff. Most recently, Laco led workforce development policy as a staff member for the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has worked for several members of Congress and spent time at the U.S. Department of Education during the first Trump Administration before serving as deputy chief of staff for Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Occupational Health and Safety Administration
Amanda Wood Laihow will serve as the deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Most recently, she served as a commissioner to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission during the first Trump Administration. Wood Laihow was the director of labor and employment policy for the National Association of Manufacturers and served as deputy general counsel on the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and as an assistant general counsel at the U.S. General Services Administration. Wood Laihow holds a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law and her B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire.
Michael Asplen will serve as OSHA’s senior policy advisor. He previously served as chief counsel to Commissioner Laihow at the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Before that, he was a counsel at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, managed Littler Mendelson’s Workplace Policy Institute, and was a policy associate at the National Association of Manufacturers. Asplen earned his B.A. in English as St. Mary’s College of Maryland and his J.D. from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.
Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Joe MacFarlane will serve as senior legislative officer for the department’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. Most recently, he served as legislative director for Secretary Chavez-DeRemer during her tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he focused on managing the day-to-day legislative operations and team. Before that, he served as legislative assistant for Rep. Rick Crawford focusing on agricultural issues, and as legislative correspondent/staff assistant for the late Rep. Jackie Walorski. A Rochester, New York native, MacFarlane holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of Georgia.
Office of Disability Employment Policy
Brian Walsh will serve as a senior policy advisor in the Office of Disability Employment Policy. Before this appointment, he was a labor policy advisor with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Walsh served at the White House in the first Trump Administration and the Department of Labor. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Orleans and a Master of Public Policy from George Mason University.
Office of Labor-Management Standards
Elisabeth Messenger will serve as director of the department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards. Most recently, she served as executive director of Gevura Fund. She has also held leadership positions at non-profit organizations focused on advancing free market policies and protecting the First Amendment rights of public employees as well as positions with several technology companies. After earning her B.A. in Journalism from the University of South Carolina, her career began in the publicity department of Atlantic Records.
Office of Public Affairs
Courtney Parella will serve as deputy assistant secretary in the department’s Office of Public Affairs. After driving messaging strategy for members of Congress and the Committee on House Administration, she worked on President Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign and at the National Republican Congressional Committee. Most recently, she served as the director of communications for Congressional Leadership Fund and its sister organization, American Action Network.
Aaron Britt will serve as chief of staff in the Office of Public Affairs. He worked on Capitol Hill for four years before his appointment, most recently serving as communications director for former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer and as press secretary for Sen. Chuck Grassley. Britt’s career began in his home state, where he oversaw media relations and strategy at the Republican Party of Iowa during the 2020 election cycle.
Office of the Secretary
Jihun Han will serve as Department of Labor’s chief of staff. He was Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff during her tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives and ran her successful congressional bid in 2022. Han has extensive experience working in local, state, and national politics, including as campaign manager and chief of staff for numerous members and candidates in the Oregon legislature. He also worked in political affairs for the Oregon Association of Realtors and Evergreen Oregon PAC.
Rebecca Wright will serve as the department’s deputy chief of staff. She served as Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s district director in Oregon and as deputy campaign manager for Christine Drazan’s gubernatorial campaign. She also worked as a senior staffer for the Oregon House Republican Caucus under House Republican Leader Drazan.
Courtney Walter will serve as senior counselor in the Office of the Secretary. She served at the U.S. Department of Labor in the first Trump Administration in various capacities, including as senior counsel in the Office of the Solicitor. Most recently, Walter practiced law in the private sector, focusing on labor and employment matters. She is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and Florida International University College of Law.
Colton Duncan will serve as the White House liaison for the U.S. Department of Labor. A political strategist and digital media entrepreneur, he has served as president and CEO of Ninja Digital and as senior advisor to Kari Lake. A native of Lubbock, Texas, Duncan is a proud alumnus of Turning Point USA.
Peyton Smith will serve as director of scheduling in the Office of the Secretary. Most recently, she served as the director of operations to Secretary during her time as representative for Oregon’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 118th Congress. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and holds a degree in Political Science.
Office of the Solicitor
On Feb. 24, 2025, Jonathan Snare was appointed as deputy solicitor of labor. He is rejoining the department after serving as partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Morgan Lewis & Bockius in the labor/employment practice group from 2009 to 2024. During his tenure at Department of Labor between 2003 and 2009, Snare served in several roles, including acting assistant secretary for OSHA and deputy assistant secretary, as well as deputy solicitor and acting solicitor in 2007. Before joining the department, he was in private law practice in Dallas. A native of Indianapolis, Snare graduated from the University of Virginia and obtained a law degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law.
For Help With Investigations, Policy Updates Or Other Needs
If your organization would like to learn more about the concerns discussed in this update or seeks assistance auditing, updating, administering or defending its human resources, compensation, benefits, corporate ethics and compliance practices, or other work force or performance-related concerns, please contact management attorney and consultant Cynthia Marcotte Stamer.
An attorney Board-Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and American College of Employee Benefits Counsel Fellow, Ms. Stamer’s workforce and other management work, public policy leadership and advocacy, coaching, teachings, scholarship and thought leadership on helping organizations and leaders about manage their internal and external workforce, employee benefits and compensation, regulatory compliance and governmental affairs and other legal and operational practices and risk have earned her recognition as a Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, a “Top Woman Lawyer,” “Top Rated Lawyer,” and “LEGAL LEADER™” in Labor and Employment Law and Health Care Law; a “Best Lawyers” in “Labor & Employment,” “Tax: ERISA & Employee Benefits,” “Health Care” and “Business and Commercial Law” and numerous other honors.
For more than 35 years, Ms. Stamer’s work has advised businesses and business leaders about enhancing the effectiveness and defensibility of their operations using employment and other workforce and services management, employee benefits, compensation, performance management, contracting, Federal Sentencing Guideline and other compliance and risk management, investigations, and other legal and operational tools and solutions. While helping businesses define and manage the conduct and performance of their employees, contractors and vendors, she also assists employers and others with compliance with federal and state equal employment, compensation, health and other employee benefits, workplace safety, leave, employment tax, and other labor and employment, privacy and data security, and other laws: advises and assists management to monitor and reengineer workforce, employee benefits, compensation, safety and other policies and practices in response to regulatory, business, economic, and other developments; advises and defends businesses against labor and employment, employee benefit, wage and hour and other compensation, employment tax, fraud, Federal Sentencing Guideline and other regulatory compliance by the Department of Labor agencies, Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, Office of Federal Contracts and Compliance, and other federal agencies; state Departments of Labor and other federal agencies; state workforce and labor, safety, workers’ compensation and other agencies; and employees, contractors, employee benefit plan participants and vendors, and others.
A former lead consultant to the Government of Bolivia on its social security privatization policy with decades of domestic and international government affairs and public policy experience, Ms. Stamer also has extensive experience providing advice to organizations, Congress and state legislators, federal and state regulators, and others about workforce, education, employee benefits, safety, health, insurance and other public policy concerns.
A prolific author and highly sought out thoughtleader, Ms. Stamer also speaks, coaches management and publishes extensively on these and other related matters.
For additional information about Ms. Stamer and her experience or to access other publications by Ms. Stamer see here or contact Ms. Stamer directly.
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