Senate confirms insider Keith Sonderling to lead Department of Labor

The Senate voted 47-41 Wednesday night to confirm Keith Sonderling, acting Secretary of Labor, to the post permanently — filling a seat in President Trump’s cabinet that has been officially empty since April.

All Republicans present voted for Sonderling’s nomination , and all Democrats voted against it, but the nomination only needed a majority to succeed. Twelve senators missed the vote, as the chamber is likely to recess Thursday until after the midterm elections.

Sonderling, 43, has been acting secretary since his predecessor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, resigned earlier this year amid various investigations into members of her family. The Senate confirmed Sonderling as DeRemer’s deputy last March.

The cabinet appointee worked in the Department of Labor throughout Trump’s first term and until 2024 was a Senate-confirmed member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which handles workplace discrimination claims.

Sonderling is seen as generally employer friendly. Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the Chamber of Commerce, released a statement in favor of confirming Sonderling on Tuesday.

“As demonstrated during his confirmation hearing and throughout his career, 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.

During his recent confirmation hearing in July, Democrats questioned him over his past moves at the Labor department — such as rolling back a Biden-era rule granting more workers access to overtime pay — while taking the chance to register their discontent with the state of the economy under the Trump administration.

“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 (D-Wash.) said at the hearing.