Trump nominates Keith Sonderling to permanent role of labor secretary | US news
Donald Trump announced that he has nominated Keith Sonderling to serve as the US labor secretary, which he currently holds as acting secretary, after Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced that she will leave her post in April.
“I am deeply honored to announce my permanent nomination of Acting United States Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Keith previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Director of Operations, and during my First Term he worked at the U.S. Department of Labor as the Acting Deputy Administrator and Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.”
Trump added: “Keith has proven his commitment to delivering strong results for our Nation’s Hardworking People throughout his career, and I know he will do an incredible job in his new role.”
Sonderling thanked Trump in her own social media post: “I am deeply grateful to President Trump for his trust and confidence. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve under both administrations of President Trump. If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to continuing my service as Secretary of Labor and advancing the President’s agenda on behalf of America’s workers, families, unions, and job creators.”
Sonderling recently caused a stir by sending letters to 53 states and union territories demanding they take action to “combat waste, fraud and abuse” under the unemployment insurance program and threatening to cut administrative funds for the first time in history.
“We are officially warning the governorships” Sonderling said on June 17. “The American people will no longer tolerate, and no state should allow, the blatant waste, fraud, and abuse of their hard-earned tax revenues. If states allow it, they will face the consequences. This department is no longer afraid to use every tool available to ensure the protection of taxpayer dollars.”
Sonderling appeared He appeared on Fox News to discuss the letters and claimed that Democratic-led states (he singled out California, New York and Illinois) had the highest instances of fraud, but offered no evidence of alleged fraud in their unemployment systems.
“I’m essentially going to cut off the states’ administrative funding and they won’t be able to administer this unemployment insurance because of the fraud,” he said.
In April, Chavez-DeRemer resigned following a series of allegations of misconduct that led to an internal investigation. The allegations included having sexual intercourse with a member of his security team, sending his staff out to buy drinks and trying to use business trips as an excuse for personal travel.
Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Shawn DeRemer, also faced a series of allegations, including sexually assaulting two female staff members.
Sonderling served on the U.S. equal employment opportunity commission and was later tapped by Trump to be deputy labor secretary. He also served as acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in 2025 served as secretary of commerce for minority business development.
Michael Sainato contributed reporting
