Keith Sonderling

Keith Sonderling
Official portrait, 2025
31st United States Secretary of Labor
Assumed office
April 20, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyHimself
Preceded byLori Chavez-DeRemer
38th United States Deputy Secretary of Labor
In office
March 14, 2025 – October 2, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byJulie Su
Additional offices 2019‍–‍present
Acting Director of the United States Office of Government Ethics
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.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Fara Klein
​
(m. 2019)​
Children2
Education

Keith Elliot Sonderling (born November 25, 1982) is an American lawyer and politician who has been the 31st and current United States Secretary of Labor since 2026. He was the Deputy Secretary of Labor from 2025 until 2026 during President Donald Trump's second presidency.

Sonderling became the acting Secretary of Labor after the resignation of Lori Chavez-DeRemer in April 2026. He was nominated to be the permanent secretary by President Donald Trump two months later. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September 2026.

Early life

Keith E. Sonderling was born on November 25, 1982, in New York City, New York. Sonderling is Jewish and his grandparents survived The Holocaust. He was raised in Boca Raton, Florida.

Sonderling graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science and from Nova Southeastern University with a Juris Doctor.

First Trump administration

From 2020 to 2024, he was Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. From 2017 to 2020, he was Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor.

Second Trump administration

On March 20, 2025, Trump named Sonderling as the acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. That day, he visited the agency's office with a team, including a member of the Department of Government Efficiency. He was also appointed acting under secretary of commerce for minority business development. In June 2026, Trump named Sonderling as the acting director of the United States Office of Government Ethics.

U.S. Secretary of Labor (2026–present)

On April 20, 2026, Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned as the secretary of labor after having many investigations into her conduct. Sonderling became the acting secretary of labor that day.

On June 29, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Sonderling to be the permanent Labor Secretary in his cabinet. A month later on July 30, the United States Committee on Health Education Labor and Pension voted 12 to 11 to advance his nomination to a full Senate vote. On September 30, 2026, the Senate confirmed Sonderling as the secretary of labor in a 47–41 vote.

Personal life

In September 2019, Sonderling married Fara Klein. They have two children.

Notes

  1. ↑ Acting: April 20, 2026–October 2, 2026

References

  1. ↑ "Find a Florida Bar Lawyer". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  2. ↑ "U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) on X". 14 March 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-06-29.
  3. ↑ "Newsmakers". The Palm Beach Post. November 24, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  4. ↑ Palmer, Anna; Sherman, Jake; Lippman, Daniel (November 25, 2018). "Trump's border dealmaking". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  5. ↑ Scheckner, Jesse (January 15, 2025). "Donald Trump appoints Keith Sonderling as Deputy Labor Secretary". Florida Politics. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  6. ↑ Deutch, Gabby (2026-04-28). "Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling guided by Holocaust survivor grandparents". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  7. ↑ Collie, Tim; Talalay, Sarah (April 22, 1999). "'It can happen anywhere'". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Newsmakers". The Palm Beach Post. March 9, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Roll Call Vote No. 189". Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  10. ↑ "DOL Names New Acting Wage and Hour Administrator". The National Law Review. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  11. ↑ Diaz, Jaclyn (February 2019). "Labor Department's New Acting Wage and Hour Chief Named". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  12. ↑ "DOL's Wage And Hour Division Gets New Acting Head - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  13. ↑ Poon, Linda (March 21, 2025). "Libraries Warn They Could Be 'Cut off at the Knees' by DOGE". Bloomberg News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ Blanchard, Jack (March 20, 2025). "The war on liberal America". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  15. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (March 24, 2025). "Library Advocates Rally as Trump Targets Federal Funding". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  16. ↑ Hapgood, Katherine (April 22, 2025). "Trump tests Tim Scott's minority business legacy". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  17. ↑ Rego, Max (June 29, 2026). "Trump nominates acting head Keith Sonderling as Labor secretary". The Hill. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ Gurley, Lauren (June 29, 2026). "Trump taps Keith Sonderling, a longtime ally of business, for Labor Secretary". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Senate HELP advances Trump's Labor secretary pick". POLITICO. 2026-07-30. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
  22. ↑ Gurley, Lauren Kaori (September 30, 2026). "Senate confirms Keith Sonderling, a business ally, as labor secretary". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
  23. ↑ Palmer, Anna; Sherman, Jake (September 3, 2019). "Biden again talks about his war flub". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  24. ↑ Lizza, Ryan; Daniels, Eugene; Palmeri, Tara; Bade, Rachael (November 10, 2021). "New reminders that this is not normal". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  25. ↑ Daniels, Eugene (January 1, 2025). "5 storylines to watch in 2025". Politico. Retrieved May 2, 2026.

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