On September 30, on a party line 47 to 41 vote, the Senate confirmed Keith Sonderling as Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL). Sonderling had been Acting DOL Secretary since this past April. He is also Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics

Although he garnered no Democratic support for his nomination, Sonderling is widely respected in the labor community. He has a reputation for listening with an open mind on labor issues, although he almost always comes down on the conservative side of issues.

His past experience includes a stint as the Deputy Secretary of Labor, overseeing DOL’s day-to-day operations. He was Acting Administrator, Deputy Administrator, and Senior Policy Advisor at DOL’s Wage and Hour Division from 2017 to 2020. He also served as a Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from September 2020 to August 2024. He returned to DOL in January 2025, after serving as a leader of then-President-Elect Trump’s transition team.

Prospects: Sonderling is expected to oversee DOL action on such issues as a worker classification rule, a rule to rescind the current companion care exemption to minimum wage and overtime rules, and rules involving whether employers can demand enforceable noncompete agreements.

NAIFA Staff Contact: Jayne Fitzgerald – Director – Government Relations, at jfitzgerald@naifa.org