President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet ahead of Labor Day, highlighting what officials described as “major victories for American workers” in the first eight months of his second term, according to the White House.
The August 26 meeting marked Trump’s seventh Cabinet session. Officials pointed to job growth, rising wages, deregulation, tax cuts, and strengthened border enforcement as evidence of improved conditions for U.S. workers.
Trump opened by citing “unprecedented private sector job growth,” increased steel production, new trade deals, and what he called “landmark tax cuts”.
Vice President JD Vance emphasized public safety improvements. “Public safety is not just something that should belong to the wealthy. It should belong to every working man and woman in the United States of America — and because of the work of this Administration, that is happening,” he said.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer noted, “Unemployment is holding steady and more than two million net jobs for native-born Americans has been key under your leadership. 84% of the workforce… [The One Big Beautiful Bill] is protecting our workforce by expanding Pell Grants, childcare, and tax reductions.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “Economic security is national security and our country has never been so secure. Your Administration has made a meaningful dent in the budget deficit — 26% less than the last twelve months under Biden.”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright noted fuel prices at “multi-decade lows” when adjusted for inflation. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer contrasted wage patterns, saying median weekly earnings fell 2.1% in late 2024 but rose 3.3% in Trump’s first quarter.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon described state workforce initiatives. She said “hands-on learning, pathways to jobs” in middle and high schools ensure students graduate “ready to go into the workforce.”
Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the bill delivers “the largest tax cut in American history for working families,” estimating $10,000 more in yearly take-home pay for a family of four.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called it “the greatest investment in rural America in history — a game-changer, a country saver.”
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the bill would provide a 50% increase in rural hospital funding — “the biggest infusion in history” to revitalize communities.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “Today, the average family and individual that lives in this country is safer than they’ve been in years… We’ve got three months in a row now with zero illegal aliens coming into our country… 1.6 million people voluntarily went home.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi tied border enforcement to safety. She said the administration was stopping drugs “killing our kids” that illegal alien gangs bring, including “cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamines.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is now “merit-based, gender-neutral, colorblind, the best of the best from top to bottom.” He said previous administrations had allowed “social justice” and “political correctness” to seep into the ranks.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he blocked a $7.4 billion payment to a “make-believe not-for-profit” created days before Trump took office. “We stopped the payment. We’ve got the money,” he said.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin pointed to deregulation. He said the agency delivered “more deregulation than entire federal governments have done across all agencies across entire presidencies.” OMB Director Russ Vought added that the administration had completed 245 deregulatory initiatives.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff described foreign policy outreach. He said he visited Gaza as “the first American diplomat” representing Trump, and witnessed locals “applauding” during aid delivery.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said foreign policy had to be “pro-American, making America stronger or safer or more prosperous.” CIA Director John Ratcliffe added the agency is “grateful to be focused on what it’s supposed to be — preventing and ending wars to make America safer.”
The Cabinet meeting served as a progress report on Trump’s second-term agenda, with officials uniformly praising the administration’s policies as benefiting workers, families, and communities. Additional voices — including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, HUD Secretary Scott Turner, VA Secretary Doug Collins, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and DNI Tulsi Gabbard — echoed the theme, citing tax cuts, deregulation, veteran services, faster infrastructure projects, and exposing “weaponization of intelligence.”