Trump nominates Keith Sonderling as labor secretary

President Trump said Monday he will nominate Keith Sonderling to permanently lead the Department of Labor, elevating the acting secretary after Lori Chavez-DeRemer left the post in April amid scrutiny over misconduct allegations.

The nomination requires Senate confirmation. Sonderling has been serving as acting labor secretary since Chavez-DeRemer’s departure and previously held the department’s No. 2 role.

“It is my Great Honor to announce that I am nominating Keith E. Sonderling, the outstanding Acting United States Secretary of Labor, to be permanent,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to The Guardian. Trump said Sonderling had served as deputy secretary and chief operating officer and, during Trump’s first term, worked at the Labor Department as acting and deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division.

“Throughout his career, Keith has proven his dedication to delivering strong results for the Hardworking People of our Country, and I know he will do an incredible job in his new role,” Trump wrote.

Sonderling thanked Trump in a social media post, The Guardian reported. “I am deeply grateful to President Trump for his trust and confidence,” he wrote. “Serving in both of President Trump’s Administrations has been the greatest honor of my life. If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to continuing that service as Secretary of Labor and advancing the President’s agenda on behalf of America’s workers, families, unions, and job creators.”

Sonderling was confirmed last year as deputy secretary of labor in a 53-46 vote along party lines. During Trump’s first term, he served in several roles at the Labor Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Guardian also reported that Sonderling served in 2025 as acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and acting under secretary of commerce for minority business development.

His nomination follows a high-profile period at the Labor Department. The Guardian reported that Sonderling recently sent letters to 53 states and union territories demanding action to “combat waste, fraud, and abuse” in the unemployment insurance program and threatening to withhold administrative funds for the first time in history.

“We are officially putting governors on notice,” Sonderling said on June 17, according to The Guardian. “The American people will no longer tolerate the blatant waste, fraud, and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars – no state should allow it either. If states allow it, they will suffer the consequences. This department is no longer afraid to use every lever available to ensure taxpayer money is protected.”

The Guardian reported that Sonderling later appeared on Fox News and claimed Democratic-led states, including California, New York and Illinois, had the highest instances of fraud, but provided no evidence of alleged fraud in unemployment systems. “I will essentially cut off the states’ administrative funds and then they won’t be able to administer this unemployment insurance due to the fraud,” he said.

Chavez-DeRemer had been under scrutiny before leaving the department. Several news outlets reported that her conduct was under investigation by the department’s internal watchdog, though CBS News said it had not confirmed the existence of that investigation. The Guardian reported that allegations included having a sexual relationship with a member of her security team, sending staff to pick up liquor and attempting to use business trips as excuses for personal travel.

CBS News reported earlier this year that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Shawn DeRemer, was barred from the department’s Washington headquarters after two women who worked there reported that he had touched them inappropriately. Federal prosecutors decided not to charge him after reviewing evidence, CBS News reported. The Guardian reported that he also faced allegations including sexual assault of two female staff members.