Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced the agency intended to reduce what the Department of Labor (DOL) describes as outdated or burdensome regulations. This move is part of a broader federal initiative aligned with President Trump’s executive order, “Unleashing Prosperity through Deregulation,” which directs agencies to eliminate ten existing regulations for every new one introduced.
According to the DOL, the goal of this initiative is to remove regulatory barriers that may restrict job growth, business flexibility, and economic opportunity. The department’s announcement frames the move as a continuation of earlier efforts during the Trump administration, which emphasized reducing compliance burdens across federal agencies. In that previous term, the DOL completed 37 deregulatory actions; the current plan marks an acceleration of that approach.
For employers, this signals a shift in regulatory priorities. While specific details on the 63 regulations targeted for repeal are still emerging, the department has stated that additional information will be made available through its page on the Federal Register. Depending on the final list, the rollbacks could impact a range of compliance obligations, including wage and hour rules and workplace safety standards.
As more information becomes available, employers will need to review which rules are being rescinded and assess whether the changes have implications for their policies and procedures. While the department is positioning this as a pro-growth measure, the practical impact for businesses will depend on how these changes interact with existing state and local labor laws, as well as internal compliance practices.