Senate confirms Keith Sonderling as labor secretary, 47-41

The Senate voted 47-41 on Wednesday night to confirm Keith Sonderling as secretary of labor, making permanent a role he has held on an acting basis since April, The Hill reported. All Republicans present voted for him and all Democrats voted against, and the nomination needed only a majority. Twelve senators missed the vote.

The seat had been officially empty since April, according to The Hill. Sonderling, 43, took over as acting secretary after his predecessor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, left the post. The Hill reported that she resigned amid investigations into members of her family.

How the vacancy came about

CBS News reported that Chavez-DeRemer’s exit was the latest in a string of Cabinet shakeups, and that she had been under scrutiny beforehand. Several news outlets had reported that the Labor Department’s internal watchdog was investigating her conduct, CBS said. A report released this month described what CBS characterized as a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” work environment under her. According to CBS, Sonderling did not feature prominently in that report beyond one section saying that Chavez-DeRemer and her chief of staff grew to distrust him.

President Trump nominated Sonderling in June, saying he had “proven his dedication to delivering strong results for the Hardworking People of our Country,” CBS reported. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee advanced the nomination in July on a 12-11 vote, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.

His background

Sonderling worked at the Labor Department throughout Trump’s first term, The Hill reported. He was also a Senate-confirmed member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission until 2024, the agency that handles workplace discrimination claims. SHRM reported that he served on the commission from 2020 to 2024, including a stint as vice chair, and that he was deputy secretary of labor before becoming acting secretary.

Before entering government, he represented employers as a labor and employment attorney at the law firm Gunster, according to SHRM. CBS described the same background as practicing employment and labor law at a Florida law firm.

Reaction

The Hill described Sonderling as generally seen as employer-friendly. Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, issued a statement backing the nomination ahead of the vote. “Mr. Sonderling is a highly qualified nominee whose leadership and vision will ensure the Department of Labor continues to uphold its mission while fostering economic growth and job creation,” Bradley wrote.

At his confirmation hearing in July, Democrats questioned Sonderling over past moves at the Labor Department, including rolling back a Biden-era rule that gave more workers access to overtime pay, The Hill reported. “I fear any vote to confirm you is for more of the same: to strip overtime protections for our workers, to undercut our unions and to let giant corporations get away with robbery, literally,” Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, said at the hearing.

The agenda ahead

SHRM reported that Sonderling has emphasized regulatory clarity and voluntary compliance, including opinion letters and self-audit programs that let employers identify and correct potential violations. It said the department announced 63 deregulatory actions in 2025 and has proposed replacing the Biden administration’s 2024 independent contractor rule with a streamlined economic realities test that gives greater weight to control and to a worker’s opportunity for profit or loss.

According to SHRM, the department has also made apprenticeships and artificial intelligence workforce training a priority, including a “Make America AI-Ready” initiative.

Wednesday’s vote was the Senate’s last order of business before senators left Washington to campaign ahead of the midterm elections, CBS reported.