President Donald Trump has secured a permanent leader for the Department of Labor after the Senate confirmed Keith Sonderling as the nation’s 31st labor secretary.
The Senate approved Sonderling’s nomination Wednesday night in a 47-41 vote.
The confirmation came shortly before lawmakers left Washington to campaign ahead of the November midterm elections.
Sonderling had already been leading the department in an acting capacity for nearly six months.
He took over after former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April following allegations of misconduct.
Trump announced in late June that he intended to nominate Sonderling for the permanent position.
The nomination later advanced through the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in a narrow 12-11 vote.
Republicans largely backed Sonderling’s nomination, pointing to his extensive experience with federal labor policy and workplace regulation.
Major business groups also supported him.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce praised Sonderling’s qualifications and his experience dealing with employment rules and regulations.
Democrats and labor advocates opposed the nomination.
Their concerns centered on the Trump administration’s approach to worker protections, organized labor and federal regulation.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington was among the Democrats who criticized the administration’s labor agenda during Sonderling’s confirmation process.
She argued that some of the administration’s policies could weaken overtime protections and organized labor while benefiting large corporations.
Sonderling brings years of experience in both employment law and federal government.
During Trump’s first administration, he held senior positions at the Labor Department.
He later served as a Republican commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Sonderling returned to the Labor Department during Trump’s second term.
He was confirmed as deputy labor secretary in March 2025.
Before entering government, Sonderling practiced employment law in Florida.
He also taught at George Washington University.
His confirmation gives the administration a permanent Cabinet official to oversee a wide range of workplace and employment issues, per Trending Politics.
Those responsibilities include wage regulations, employee classification rules, workforce development and workplace safety enforcement.
Sonderling will also oversee policies involving retirement benefit protections and programs designed to prepare workers for changes in the labor market.
Another growing issue under his watch will be artificial intelligence.
The Labor Department has increasingly focused on how AI could affect hiring, employment practices, workplace productivity and worker protections.
Sonderling’s confirmation also closes a turbulent chapter for the department following Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation.
A Labor Department inspector general report released in September detailed allegations involving improper use of government resources, policy violations and a hostile workplace environment.
The report also described allegations involving personal travel at government expense and an inappropriate relationship with a member of her security detail.
Chavez-DeRemer disputed the accusations.
Her attorney maintained that she had not broken the law.
Sonderling’s permanent appointment gives the department more stability as the administration continues pursuing changes to federal labor policy.
He is expected to play a major role in implementing Trump’s priorities involving regulation, employment law and workforce development.
The department will also continue overseeing OSHA workplace safety enforcement and federal wage-and-hour rules.
With the Senate vote now complete, Sonderling moves from acting secretary to the permanent head of the department.
The confirmation ends months of uncertainty over who would lead the agency following Chavez-DeRemer’s departure.
Trump now has a Senate-confirmed labor secretary in place as his administration heads into the final stretch before November’s midterm elections.
