Wikipedia

Keith Sonderling

Keith E. Sonderling (born November 25, 1982) is an American attorney who has served as the acting United States secretary of labor since 2026 and as the United States deputy secretary of labor since 2025. He has additionally served as the acting director of the United States Office of Government Ethics since 2026 and as the acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the acting under secretary of commerce for minority business development since 2025. Sonderling served as the vice chair and a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 2020 to 2024 and as the acting administrator of the Wage and Hour Division from February to April 2019.

Keith Sonderling
Official portrait, 2025
United States Secretary of Labor
Acting
Assuming office
April 20, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyHimself
SucceedingLori Chavez-DeRemer
United States Deputy Secretary of Labor
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 14, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJulie Su
Additional offices 2019‍–‍present
Acting Director of the United States Office of Government Ethics
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 23, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byEric Ueland
Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services
In office
March 20, 2025 – November 16, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byCyndee Landrum (acting)
Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development
In office
March 18, 2025 – November 16, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byEric Morrissette
Vice Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
In office
September 22, 2020 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJenny R. Yang
Succeeded byJocelyn Samuels
Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
In office
September 22, 2020 – August 30, 2024
President
Preceded byCharlotte Burrows
Succeeded byBrittany Panuccio
Acting Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division
In office
c. February 2019 – April 29, 2019
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byBryan Jarrett (acting)
Succeeded byCheryl Stanton
Personal details
Born (1982-11-25) November 25, 1982 (age 43)
New York City, New York, U.S.
PartyRepublican
Spouse
Fara Klein
​
(m. 2019)​
Children2
Education

Sonderling graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science and from Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad College of Law with a Juris Doctor. He joined Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart as an associate in 2008. Sonderling's work specialized in employment and business litigation. In September 2017, he became a senior policy advisor at the Wage and Hour Division and later served as its deputy administration and acting administrator. In July 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Sonderling to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He was confirmed by the Senate in September 2020 and served as its vice chair until January 2021. Sonderling's term ended in August 2024.

In November 2024, Trump named Sonderling as his nominee to serve as the deputy secretary of labor. Sonderling was confirmed by the Senate in March 2025. In his tenure as the deputy secretary of labor, Sonderling largely managed the operations of the Department of Labor, particularly amid Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer's frequent absences. In April 2026, Sonderling became the acting secretary of labor after Chavez-DeRemer resigned over several inquiries into her conduct. In June, Trump announced that he would nominate Sonderling as the secretary of labor.

Early life and education (1982–2008)

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Keith E. Sonderling[1] was born on November 25, 1982,[2] in New York City, New York.[3] Sonderling is Jewish and his grandparents survived The Holocaust.[4] He attended Spanish River Community High School in Boca Raton, Florida.[5] Sonderling graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science and from Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad College of Law with a Juris Doctor[6] in 2008.[3]

Career

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In November 2008, Sonderling joined Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart as an associate specializing in employment and business litigation.[1] He represented Palm Beach's pops orchestra and its conductor, Bob Lappin, in a federal lawsuit accusing Lappin of sexual impropriety.[7] Sonderling became a partner in Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart in March 2015.[8] He additionally represented plaintiffs who alleged that the operators of the Palm House condominium-hotel had engaged in a conspiracy to defraud investors,[9] as well as Florida Atlantic University in a lawsuit filed by the scholar James Tracy, who was fired for claiming the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.[10]

In November 2012, Florida governor Rick Scott appointed Sonderling to the judicial nominating commission for the state's Fourth District Court of Appeal;[11] he was reappointed to the commission and named its chairman in October 2016.[12] He additionally served on the Jewish Community Relations Council in Palm Beach,[13] on Jeb Bush's Jewish leadership committee for his 2016 presidential campaign,[14] and on Carlos Lopez-Cantera's finance team for his campaign in the 2016 United States Senate election in Florida.[15]

Other activities

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Sonderling served on the board of directors of the Morse Life Health System, the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, and Leadership Florida.[16]

Wage and Hour Division (2017–2020)

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In September 2017, Bloomberg Law reported that Sonderling had become a senior policy advisor at the Wage and Hour Division as its first political appointee.[17] By 2019, he had become the division's deputy administrator[18] and its acting administrator.[19] Sonderling was involved in sending resources to Guam in the aftermath of Typhoon Wutip.[18] The Wage and Hour Division determined that gig workers were independent contractors, not employees, in Sonderling's tenure.[20] Sonderling additionally helped developed the Payroll Audit Independent Determination program, relaxing litigation and penalties for employers that self-report violations.[21]

Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2020–2024)

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Sonderling is sworn in as a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September 2020

On July 8, 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Sonderling to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as a Republican member.[22] Sonderling's nomination was delayed after Trump did not immediately name a Democratic member.[23] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed a motion of cloture for a confirmation vote on his nomination in September 2020.[24] He was sworn in that month.[3] Sonderling additionally served as the commission's vice chair[25] until January 2021, when President Joe Biden appointed Jocelyn Samuels to the position. From 2022-2023, he had become an adjunct professor of employment law at the George Washington University Law School.[26] In July 2024, Sonderling announced that he would leave the following month at the expiration of his term.[27]

United States Deputy Secretary of Labor (2025–present)

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Nomination and confirmation

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Sonderling led Donald Trump's second presidential transition for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alongside Janet Dhillon[28] and led the landing team at the Department of Labor.[29] In November 2024, Bloomberg Law reported that Sonderling was among several possible candidates to serve as Donald Trump's secretary of labor.[30] Several business organizations proposed that Trump nominate Sonderling as his deputy secretary of labor; according to Politico, Sonderling considered moving to the private sector after his term ended from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[31]

On January 15, 2025, Trump named Sonderling as his nominee for deputy secretary of labor.[32] After Trump's inauguration, Sonderling served as a senior advisor to acting Secretary of Labor Vince Micone.[33] He appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on February 27.[34] The Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to institute mass firings at the agency overshadowed Sonderling's hearing[35] as he was questioned by Democrats on the committee over whether he was aware of personnel firings at the Department of Labor.[33] He told the committee that he did not know how many workers had been fired.[33] Sonderling was confirmed by the committee on March 6[36] and by the Senate in a vote along party lines on March 12.[37]

Tenure

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In his tenure as the deputy secretary of labor, Sonderling managed the Department of Labor amid frequent absences by Chavez-DeRemer. His work involved meeting with the heads of enforcement agencies and setting the department's policies.[38] Sonderling assisted in selecting candidates for several agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[39] [40] Sonderling revived the department's opinion letter and Payroll Audit Independent Determination programs.[21] In January 2026, Sonderling stated that he would seek to include investments such as private-equity and private-credit in pension plans.[41] That month, he addressed the press on the monthly jobs report, a responsibility usually reserved for the secretary of labor.[42]

Acting positions

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On March 20, 2025,[43] Trump named Sonderling as the acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services in an effort to minimize the agency to its constitutional framework.[44] That day, he visited the agency's office with a team, including a member of the Department of Government Efficiency.[45] Several senators sent a letter to Sonderling that month requesting that he continue the intent of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.[46] In April, he fired every member of the agency's board.[47] Sonderling was additionally appointed to serve as the acting under secretary of commerce for minority business development. Nate Cavanaugh, a member of the Department of Government Efficiency, invoked Sonderling's authority to terminate grants to the agency's business centers in April 2025.[48] In June 2026, Trump named Sonderling as the acting director of the United States Office of Government Ethics.[49]

United States Secretary of Labor (2026–present)

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Acting appointment

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On April 20, 2026, Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned as the secretary of labor amid several investigations into her conduct.[50] Sonderling became the acting secretary of labor that day.[51] He was supported by several officials in the Trump administration,[51] allies of Donald Trump, including Jason Miller and Alex Bruesewitz, as well as business organizations.[52] Federal law allows for Sonderling to serve as the acting secretary of labor, according to an interpretation of a statute that was utilized by the Biden administration to have Julie Su serve as the acting secretary of labor indefinitely.[39]

Nomination

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After his appointment, Sonderling was expected to be nominated as the secretary of labor, according to Politico.[53] On June 29, 2026, Trump announced that he would nominate Sonderling to the position.[54]

Views

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In an interview with Politico in December 2023, Sonderling stated that employers should have discretion on whether to disclose the use of artificial intelligence in hiring—while remaining compliant with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's regulations and federal law—and advocated for the government to promulgate guidance on artificial intelligence.[55] Sonderling is a vocal critic on the growing patchwork of state AI laws and in 2026 published federal resources, such as the AI Literacy Framework for employers and accompanying text-based AI training for American workers.[56] At the commission, Sonderling voted against its final rule on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act[57] and against guidance that would consider violations of transgender employer's bathroom and pronoun preferences to be workplace discrimination.[3]

Personal life

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In September 2019, Sonderling married Fara Klein, a government affairs manager at the American Forest & Paper Association, in Jerusalem;[58] they have two children.[59][60]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Newsmakers". The Palm Beach Post. November 24, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ Palmer, Anna; Sherman, Jake; Lippman, Daniel (November 25, 2018). "Trump's border dealmaking". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Scheckner, Jesse (January 15, 2025). "Donald Trump appoints Keith Sonderling as Deputy Labor Secretary". Florida Politics. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  4. ↑ Deutch, Gabby (April 28, 2026). "Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling guided by Holocaust survivor grandparents". Jewish Insider. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  5. ↑ Collie, Tim; Talalay, Sarah (April 22, 1999). "'It can happen anywhere'". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Newsmakers". The Palm Beach Post. March 9, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  7. ↑ Lambiet, Jose (March 18, 2011). "Suit vs. Pops maestro nears crescendo". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  8. ↑ Kent, Cindy (March 8, 2015). "People on the Move". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  9. ↑ Kelly, William (November 17, 2016). "Suit alleges Palm House part of $50M scam". Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  10. ↑ Solomon, Lois (December 2, 2016). "Fired professor seeks trial". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Newsmakers". The Palm Beach Post. November 26, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Newsmakers". The Palm Beach Post. October 31, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ McManus, Shani (August 28, 2013). "Advocating more sanctions against Iran". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ Man, Anthony (September 26, 2015). "Bush sets his Jewish leadership team". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  15. ↑ Dixon, Matt (March 8, 2016). "Lopez-Cantera rolls out finance team, headed by Rubio backer". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  16. ↑ Perez, Luis (April 21, 2026). "Boca Raton Native Keith Sonderling Named Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor". TAPinto. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  17. ↑ Penn, Ben (September 18, 2017). "Management Lawyer Joins DOL as First Wage-Hour Political Hire". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  18. 1 2 Kaur, Anumita (May 7, 2019). "U.S. Dept. of Labor to provide resources to Guam". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  19. ↑ "CNMI joins Guam in federal/local labor agreement". Pacific Island Times. May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  20. ↑ Scheiber, Noam (April 29, 2019). "Labor Dept. Says Workers at a Gig Company Are Contractors". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Kutner, Max (April 21, 2026). "DOL Expected To Stay Wage Policy Course Under Deputy". Law360. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  22. ↑ Rainey, Rebecca (July 8, 2019). "Epstein redux". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  23. ↑ Rainey, Rebecca (January 6, 2020). "DHS to give info to Census Bureau to compile stats on citizenship". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  24. ↑ Rainey, Rebecca (September 21, 2020). "RBG's legacy". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  25. ↑ Palmer, Anna; Sherman, Jake (November 25, 2019). "Some good news ahead of Thanksgiving". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Keith Sonderling". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  27. ↑ Ukenye, Lawrence (July 15, 2024). "Republican-appointed EEOC commissioner to depart next month". Politico Pro. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  28. ↑ Niedzwiadek, Nick (January 13, 2025). "Dems, outside groups rally behind blocked non-compete rule". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  29. ↑ Niedzwiadek, Nick (December 18, 2024). "Veteran Trump hands a part of Labor Dept. landing team". Politico Pro. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  30. ↑ Rainey, Rebecca (November 14, 2024). "Trump Team Eyes Ex-Fast Food CEO Puzder to Lead DOL". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  31. ↑ Niedzwiadek, Nick (December 5, 2024). "Business groups wary of Trump's pro-union Labor secretary pick". Politico. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  32. ↑ Okun, Eli (January 15, 2025). "Is the Israel-Hamas war finally over?". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 Niedzwiadek, Nick (February 27, 2025). "DOL's Sonderling dismays Democrats seeking answers on job cuts". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  34. ↑ Kashinsky, Lisa; McCarthy, Mia (February 27, 2026). "Shutdown blame game rages". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  35. ↑ Colvin, Caroline (February 27, 2025). "DOGE chaos overshadows standard DOL fare at Keith Sonderling's deputy security hearing". HR Dive. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  36. ↑ Kashinsky, Lisa; McCarthy, Mia (March 6, 2026). "Leaders vs. appropriators". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  37. ↑ Ukenye, Lawrence (March 12, 2026). "Senate confirms Keith Sonderling for No.2 role at DOL". Politico Pro. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  38. ↑ Davis O'Brien, Rebecca; Gorelick, Evan (March 2, 2026). "Labor Secretary Is a Rare Presence at Department in Turmoil". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  39. 1 2 Niedzwiadek, Nick (April 21, 2026). "Trump taps longtime insider to fix Labor Department headache". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  40. ↑ Purifoy, Parker (July 15, 2026). "Sonderling Expected to Bridge Workers, Business as DOL Chief". Bloomberg Law.
  41. ↑ Wirz, Matt (January 7, 2026). "Labor Department Promises Rule on 401(k) Private Investments". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  42. ↑ Niedzwiadek, Nick; Ukenye, Lawrence (January 21, 2026). "Chavez-DeRemer's crucible". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  43. ↑ Poon, Linda (March 21, 2025). "Libraries Warn They Could Be 'Cut off at the Knees' by DOGE". Bloomberg News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  44. ↑ Blanchard, Jack (March 20, 2025). "The war on liberal America". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  45. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (March 24, 2025). "Library Advocates Rally as Trump Targets Federal Funding". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  46. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (March 31, 2025). "Trump Administration Moves to Shutter Library Agency". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  47. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (April 8, 2025). "American Library Association Sues to Stop Trump Cuts". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  48. ↑ Hapgood, Katherine (April 22, 2025). "Trump tests Tim Scott's minority business legacy". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  49. ↑ Rego, Max (June 29, 2026). "Trump nominates acting head Keith Sonderling as Labor secretary". The Hill. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  50. ↑ Gurley, Lauren; Kornfield, Meryl (April 20, 2026). "Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will leave administration amid misconduct allegations". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  51. 1 2 Davis O'Brien, Rebecca; Broadwater, Luke (April 21, 2026). "Labor Secretary's Departure Provides Trump an Agenda Reset". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  52. ↑ Niedzwiadek, Nick (April 27, 2026). "Registered Apprenticeships yet to take off". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  53. ↑ Carney, Jordain; Lee Hill, Meredith (June 9, 2026). "Push for Labor nominee is latest threat to House GOP majority". Politico. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  54. ↑ Gurley, Lauren (June 29, 2026). "Trump taps Keith Sonderling, a longtime ally of business, for Labor Secretary". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  55. ↑ Olander, Olivia (December 26, 2023). "'No one's gonna want to be subjected to a product that's going to violate their civil rights'". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  56. ↑ Colletta, Jen (July 1, 2026). "Trump's Labor Secretary pick could reshape AI enforcement". HR Executive. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  57. ↑ Burke, Lilah (July 15, 2024). "Republican EEOC Commissioner Sonderling to Exit as Term Ends". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  58. ↑ Palmer, Anna; Sherman, Jake (September 3, 2019). "Biden again talks about his war flub". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  59. ↑ Lizza, Ryan; Daniels, Eugene; Palmeri, Tara; Bade, Rachael (November 10, 2021). "New reminders that this is not normal". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  60. ↑ Daniels, Eugene (January 1, 2025). "5 storylines to watch in 2025". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
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