US Senate panel advances Trump Labor Department nominee
Jul 30, 2026 | 11:08 am ET
Description
Keith Sonderling, acting U.S. secretary of Labor, appears at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Capitol Hill on July 16, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Sonderling has been acting secretary of Labor since April 20, 2026 after Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Labor breezed through a key U.S. Senate committee vote Thursday to advance his nomination.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted 12-11, along party lines, to send acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling’s nomination to the full Senate.
The Floridian, vying to serve as the next Labor secretary, took on the role of acting department head in April after Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned amid misconduct allegations.
Trump in June also named Sonderling to serve as acting director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The Senate had confirmed Sonderling as deputy Labor secretary in March 2025.
Sonderling appeared before the Senate panel this month. During the hearing, he defended Labor’s major role in a broader drive by the administration to dismantle the Department of Education.
Education has signed several interagency agreements with Labor, Health and Human Services, State, Treasury, Interior and Justice, which signal a major part of the administration’s plan to axe the 46-year-old Education Department.
Labor is taking on expanded roles in administering Education’s programs on elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education and career, technical and adult education.
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