Trump Nominates Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling to Lead Department Permanently

President Trump announced Monday on Truth Social that he is sending Keith Sonderling's name to the Senate for confirmation as Secretary of Labor, formalizing an arrangement that has been in place since April, according to CBS News and AP reporting.

Sonderling is a lawyer who has spent much of the Trump era accumulating acting titles. In addition to running the Labor Department, he has simultaneously served as acting director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, according to AP News. That last role made him an instrument of one of Trump's more aggressive agency-closure efforts: Sonderling placed many IMLS staff on administrative leave, sent termination notices to most of them, began canceling grants and contracts, and fired all members of the National Museum and Library Services Board. A federal judge later blocked those actions, and the case remains on appeal, AP News reported.

Before these acting roles, Sonderling was confirmed as deputy labor secretary and served during Trump's first term as acting and deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, as well as a Republican-appointed member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. His confirmation to deputy secretary passed 53-46 along party lines, according to CBS News.

Why the Seat Opened

Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April after a cascade of reported misconduct allegations. Fox News Digital reported that a whistleblower complaint accused her of having an affair with a member of her security detail, drinking on the job, creating a hostile work environment, and directing staff to perform personal errands at taxpayer expense. The New York Times reported that the Labor Department's inspector general was reviewing material showing Chavez-DeRemer, her top aides, and family members routinely sent personal messages and requests to young staffers, according to WRAL's reporting of AP's coverage.

On a separate matter: CBS News reported that Chavez-DeRemer's husband was barred from the department's Washington headquarters after two women reported he touched them inappropriately. Federal prosecutors reviewed the evidence and decided not to file charges against him, CBS News reported.

Chavez-DeRemer has denied wrongdoing across all these allegations, according to WRAL. CBS News stated that it had not independently confirmed the existence of the inspector general investigation.

The Case for Sonderling

Sonderling's supporters have a coherent argument. He has run the department without reported controversy since April, testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee as recently as May 19, 2026, and has deep institutional knowledge of the agency's core functions, from wage and hour enforcement to workforce development. Trump praised his "dedication to delivering strong results for the Hardworking People of our Country" in the Truth Social announcement.

Fox News aired an interview in which Sonderling pointed to increased manufacturing and construction job numbers and credited investment commitments from companies including Lockheed Martin and Toyota as evidence that Trump's jobs agenda is producing measurable results.

The Legitimate Concern

Critics have a fair point about the IMLS episode. Sonderling was the instrument of an agency shutdown that a federal court blocked. Judges don't block executive actions without legal cause. That case is still working through the courts, and a nominee whose prior major independent action was partially invalidated by a judge deserves direct questions from the Senate about how he interprets executive authority.

Sonderling's defenders would counter that he was carrying out lawful presidential directives and that the litigation outcome is yet to be decided on the merits.

What Comes Next

The nomination requires a Senate confirmation vote. Sonderling cleared his deputy secretary confirmation 53-46 along party lines, which gives a rough baseline for how that math looks today. The open question is whether the IMLS litigation or any residual scrutiny from the Chavez-DeRemer-era workplace issues surfaces during hearings and peels off any Republican votes.