Keith Sonderling has officially taken the helm of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), moving from acting secretary to the official head of an agency that has already undergone substantial changes during President Donald Trump’s second term.
The Senate confirmed Sonderling as secretary of labor by a vote of 47-41 on Sept. 30, cementing a leadership role he has held on an acting basis since April. Trump nominated Sonderling in June, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee advanced his nomination in July on a 12-11 vote.
Sonderling brings extensive labor and employment experience to the position. Before becoming acting secretary, he served as deputy secretary of labor, overseeing the department’s day-to-day operations. During President Trump’s first administration, Sonderling served as acting and deputy administrator of the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division. He later served as a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 2020 to 2024, including a stint as vice chair. Before entering government, he represented employers as a labor and employment attorney at law firm Gunster.
His record also provides clues about where the DOL is headed. Sonderling has emphasized regulatory clarity and voluntary compliance, including through opinion letters and self-audit programs that allow employers and other regulated entities to identify and correct potential violations. The DOL has expanded those initiatives across several agencies, including the Wage and Hour Division, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Employee Benefits Security Administration.
At the same time, the department has pursued a broad deregulatory agenda. In 2025, the DOL announced 63 deregulatory actions aimed at eliminating or revising regulations the administration considers unnecessarily burdensome. The department has also proposed replacing the Biden administration’s 2024 independent contractor rule with a streamlined economic realities test that gives greater weight to control and a worker’s opportunity for profit or loss.
Workforce development — particularly apprenticeships and artificial intelligence — is another major priority. Sonderling has been a prominent voice on workplace AI since his EEOC tenure, and the DOL has since launched its “Make America AI-Ready” initiative and efforts to integrate AI skills into Registered Apprenticeship programs. At his confirmation hearing, Sonderling also pointed to apprenticeships as a central component of the administration’s workforce strategy.
Sonderling’s elevation therefore signals continuity rather than a reset at DOL. Having already helped shape the department’s policies as deputy and acting secretary, he now enters the official job with an agenda focused on compliance assistance, deregulation, apprenticeships, AI workforce preparation, and increased scrutiny of fraud in federal labor programs.
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