On February 13, President Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., won approval from the Senate following approval by the Senate Finance Committee on a party-line 14 to 13 vote.

Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Labor (DOL), is scheduled for a confirmation hearing on February 19. Hard on the heels of the Chavez-DeRemer decision will come consideration of the nominee to be her deputy, Keith Sonderling. Sonderling is expected to handle DOL’s policy portfolio.

Sonderling is a former acting administrator and deputy administrator of DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD). He served in the first Trump Administration and has also served as an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) commissioner. He spent 10 years in private practice as a management-side labor lawyer in Florida. The Senate confirmed him in 2020 as EEOC commissioner with bipartisan support.

Prospects: Washington insiders believe that Chavez DeRemer will likely win Senate confirmation, although will face headwinds that could make her confirmation vote difficult.

 NAIFA Staff Contacts: Jayne Fitzgerald – Director – Government Relations, at jfitzgerald@naifa.org; or Mike Hedge – Senior Director – Government Relations, at mhedge@naifa.org