Trump Nominates Keith Sonderling as Permanent Secretary of Labor

President Donald Trump has put forward the nomination of Keith Sonderling to serve as the permanent Secretary of Labor for the United States. Sonderling has been acting in this role since April and is well-known within the administration, possessing substantial experience in federal labor policy.

If the U.S. Senate confirms his nomination, Sonderling will officially join the Cabinet, having previously held positions as the agency’s deputy secretary and chief operating officer, where he was primarily responsible for managing daily operations.

This appointment follows the resignation of former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez Delemer, who stepped down amidst an internal investigation into multiple allegations of misconduct and abuse of power. Reports indicated that the Labor Department’s inspector general was looking into potential charges against Chavez Delemer, including claims that she made personal demands on junior staff and engaged in misconduct related to business trips.

Although Chavez Delemer has denied any wrongdoing, her frequent absences during her brief time in the position led to Sonderling essentially overseeing the department’s $14 billion budget and 16,000 employees. His background includes work across various agencies during both of Trump’s terms.

Before taking on his leadership role in the Department of Labor, Sonderling was a Republican Commissioner and Vice Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 2020 to 2024, where he concentrated on the intersection of artificial intelligence and workplace technology with existing employment laws.

Earlier in his career, he also held roles such as acting director and deputy director of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division from 2017 to 2020 and took on various other temporary positions, including acting roles at the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.

Since assuming the role of acting secretary, Sonderling has gained attention for increasing operational oversight and advocating for conservative policy initiatives. Recently, he made headlines by warning 53 states and territories about compliance issues and threatened to withhold funding from local governments that fail to address fraud and waste in their unemployment insurance systems.

In his nomination announcement on Truth Social, President Trump commended Sonderling for his unwavering commitment to achieving significant results for American workers. Following the announcement, Sonderling expressed his gratitude and anticipation to advance the president’s agenda for workers, families, and job creators, pending Senate confirmation.

“I am very pleased to announce the full-time appointment of Keith E. Sonderling, an outstanding acting U.S. Secretary of Labor. Keith previously served as Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, and in my first term, he served as Acting Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Wage and Hour Division. Through Leah, he has proven his dedication to delivering strong results for the hardworking people of our country, and I have every confidence he will do a great job in his new role,” President Trump posted on Truth Social.

“I am deeply grateful for President Trump’s trust and confidence in me. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve in both of his administrations. If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to continuing in that role as Secretary of Labor and advancing the President’s policies on behalf of America’s workers, families, unions, and job creators,” Sonderling stated.