Trump Nominates Acting Labor Secretary Keith E. Sonderling for Permanent...

The nomination follows former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer stepping aside in April. Her tenure was largely defined by a focus on cutting regulatory burdens, exposing fraud, increasing apprenticeships, and addressing cost-of-living pressures, which Sonderling commended when he took over the acting role after serving as deputy secretary and chief operating officer. Related StoriesTrump Signs Presidential Memo Promoting ‘Right to Fix’ VehiclesTrump Urges SAVE America Act as Supreme Court Allows Late Mail-in Ballots, Clarifies Presidential Firing Power Sonderling has also focused on unemployment insurance fraud and guidance on employee benefit programs. The department under his leadership called for immediate action from governors on issues with fraud, which Vice President JD Vance has supported. “We are officially putting governors on notice,” acting Secretary Sonderling said in June upon making demands of state leaders and policy makers. “The American people will no longer tolerate the blatant waste, fraud, and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars—no state should allow it either. If states allow it, they will suffer the consequences. This department is no longer afraid to use every lever available to ensure taxpayer money is protected.” During his tenure, Sonderling has also targeted fraudulent COVID-era relief payments. The unlawful payouts could amount to hundreds of billions of dollars, according to House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) during the 118th Congress. Sonderling was nominated by Trump in 2019 to serve as the commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and was confirmed by the Senate in September 2020. He served in the position until August 2024. He also served as EEOC vice-chair from 2020 to 2021.