The Senate confirmed President Trump’s pick to lead the Labor Department by a 47-41 vote, rejecting Democratic warnings that the nominee would strip worker protections and weaken unions.
The New York Post reported that senators approved Keith Sonderling on Wednesday, just before heading home to campaign for the midterm elections. Sonderling had already been running the department as acting secretary since April.
He takes the post after Lori Chavez-DeRemer left for a private-sector job. Her exit followed multiple allegations that she had abused the power of her office.
Democrats cast the confirmation as a threat to overtime rules and organized labor. Republicans framed it as putting a proven hand in charge of federal labor law and the shift toward higher-paying trades.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairs the committee that advanced the nomination. He told colleagues Sonderling was clearly qualified.
Cassidy said:
"I’m confident that he will protect workers, help businesses create more jobs, and help workers navigate AI-driven changes in the workforce,"
Sonderling is no newcomer. He served as a senior advisor at Labor during Trump’s first term, later sat as a Republican member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and taught the laws the department enforces as an adjunct professor at George Washington University. The Senate confirmed him as deputy secretary in March of last year before he returned for Trump’s second term.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., spoke against the nomination during the confirmation hearing. Democrats opposed Sonderling over administration policies at the department, including its handling of some Department of Education grant programs now managed at Labor.
Murray said:
"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,"
That argument did not carry the floor. The 47-41 tally locked Sonderling in as the permanent secretary.
Fox News reported that Trump nominated the acting secretary for the permanent role and sent the pick to the Senate after Chavez-DeRemer’s April departure. She left amid an inspector general investigation into whistleblower claims that included misconduct, drinking on the job, and directing staff to run personal errands.
The White House had already announced she would leave for the private sector. Sonderling stepped in as acting secretary and kept the department running while the nomination moved.
Trump has also pushed to fulfill a campaign pledge to close the Department of Education entirely. Some of that agency’s grant programs have already been handled at Labor, a shift Democrats cited in their opposition.
The Department of Labor administers federal labor laws meant to guarantee fair, safe, and healthy working conditions. Sonderling now holds full authority over that portfolio after months as the acting head and a prior tour as deputy.
Republicans cast the vote as continuity and competence. Democrats cast it as a green light for weaker overtime rules and less leverage for unions. The roll call settled the argument in Trump’s favor before senators left town.
Workers and employers will judge the next chapter by results, jobs, wages, and whether the rules still match the reality on shop floors and job sites.
