Keith Sonderling took the oath as U.S. Labor secretary Friday in the Oval Office, locking in President Trump’s pick after interim service and Senate confirmation.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent administered the oath to Keith Sonderling during a White House ceremony, formally seating him as Labor secretary.

Just The News reported the Friday event in the Oval Office, marking the end of Sonderling’s climb from deputy roles to the top post at the Department of Labor.

Sonderling stepped into the job after serving as deputy secretary. He had already filled the seat on an interim basis since April, when former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer left for private-sector work.

That earlier exit set off months of scrutiny inside the department and on Capitol Hill, including an inspector general review of the prior secretary’s conduct.

The Senate confirmed Sonderling late last month, clearing the way for the formal swearing-in. He now serves as the 31st United States Secretary of Labor.

Readers tracking the nomination fight can revisit how the Senate confirms Keith Sonderling after the interim stretch.

Sonderling brings direct experience from the first Trump administration. He previously served as acting and deputy administrator of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, the unit that enforces federal pay and hour rules.

In a post on X after the ceremony, Sonderling thanked the president and framed the mission in plain terms.

"I am deeply honored and grateful to President Donald Trump for the opportunity to serve as the 31st United States Secretary of Labor"

He added a second pledge aimed straight at the workforce the department exists to serve.

"It is the privilege of a lifetime to serve American workers and Job Creators, the best anywhere in the world and I’ll continue fighting for them on behalf of [the president] every day."

The path to Friday’s oath was not automatic. Republican holds earlier slowed other Labor nominees while lawmakers pressed the White House for answers on the Chavez-DeRemer chapter, a period when Sen. Bill Cassidy freezes Trump labor nominees drew national attention.

Separate pressure continued until more explanations arrived, including moments when Cassidy freezes four Trump labor nominees pending further White House response.

With the confirmation complete and the oath delivered, Sonderling now runs an agency still tasked with basic worker protections and fraud enforcement. Recent department actions have included sending teams after large-scale benefit theft, the same focus seen when the Labor Department sends strike force resources against unemployment schemes.

American workers get a confirmed secretary who already knows the building, the statutes, and the prior administration’s playbook. That continuity matters more than ceremony.