Keith Sonderling
American attorney (born 1982)
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Keith E. Sonderling (born November 25, 1982) is an American attorney who is serving as the acting United States Secretary of Labor since 2026 and as the Deputy Secretary of Labor since 2025. He additionally is serving as the acting director of the United States Office of Government Ethics since 2026 and perviously served as the acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the acting under secretary of commerce for minority business development in 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Official portrait, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Acting United States Secretary of Labor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office April 20, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Donald Trump | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Himself | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lori Chavez-DeRemer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 38th United States Deputy Secretary of Labor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office March 14, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Donald Trump | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Julie Su | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Acting Director of the United States Office of Government Ethics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office June 23, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Donald Trump | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Eric Ueland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 25, 1982 New York City, New York, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Republican | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Fara Klein (m. 2019) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 administrator 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 permanent Secretary.
Early life and education (1982–2008)
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
Legal and political work (2008–2017)
In November 2008, Sonderling joined Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart in West Palm Beach 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]
Other activities
Sonderling served on the board of directors of the Morse Life Health System, Jewish Community Relations Council in Palm Beach, the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, and Leadership Florida.[13][14]
Wage and Hour Division (2017–2020)
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.[15] By 2019, he had become the division's deputy administrator[16] and its acting administrator.[17] Sonderling was involved in sending resources to Guam in the aftermath of Typhoon Wutip.[16] The Wage and Hour Division determined that gig workers were independent contractors, not employees, in Sonderling's tenure.[18] Sonderling additionally helped developed the Payroll Audit Independent Determination program, relaxing litigation and penalties for employers that self-report violations.[19]
Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2020–2024)
On July 8, 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Sonderling to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as a Republican member.[20] Sonderling's nomination was delayed after Trump did not immediately name a Democratic member.[21] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed a motion of cloture for a confirmation vote on his nomination in September 2020.[22] He was sworn in that month.[3] Sonderling additionally served as the commission's vice chair[23] 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.[24] In July 2024, Sonderling announced that he would leave the following month at the expiration of his term.[25]
United States Deputy Secretary of Labor (2025–present)
Nomination and confirmation
Sonderling led Donald Trump's second presidential transition for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alongside Janet Dhillon[26] and led the landing team at the Department of Labor.[27] In November 2024, Bloomberg Law reported that Sonderling was among several possible candidates to serve as Donald Trump's secretary of labor.[28] 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.[29]
On January 15, 2025, Trump named Sonderling as his nominee for deputy secretary of labor.[30] After Trump's inauguration, Sonderling served as a senior advisor to acting Secretary of Labor Vince Micone.[31] He appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on February 27.[32] The Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to institute mass firings at the agency overshadowed Sonderling's hearing[33] as he was questioned by Democrats on the committee over whether he was aware of personnel firings at the Department of Labor.[31] He told the committee that he did not know how many workers had been fired.[31] Sonderling was confirmed by the committee on March 6[34] and by the Senate in a vote along party lines on March 12.[35]
Tenure
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.[36] Sonderling assisted in selecting candidates for several agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[37] [38] Sonderling revived the department's opinion letter and Payroll Audit Independent Determination programs.[19] In January 2026, Sonderling stated that he would seek to include investments such as private-equity and private-credit in pension plans.[39] That month, he addressed the press on the monthly jobs report, a responsibility usually reserved for the secretary of labor.[40]
Acting positions
On March 20, 2025,[41] 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.[42] That day, he visited the agency's office with a team, including a member of the Department of Government Efficiency.[43] Several senators sent a letter to Sonderling that month requesting that he continue the intent of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.[44] In April, he fired every member of the agency's board.[45] 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.[46] In June 2026, Trump named Sonderling as the acting director of the United States Office of Government Ethics.[47]
United States Secretary of Labor (2026–present)
Acting appointment
On April 20, 2026, Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned as the secretary of labor amid several investigations into her conduct.[48] Sonderling became the acting secretary of labor that day.[49] He was supported by several officials in the Trump administration,[49] allies of Donald Trump, including Jason Miller and Alex Bruesewitz, as well as business organizations.[50] 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.[37]
Nomination and confirmation
After his appointment, Sonderling was expected to be nominated as the secretary of labor, according to Politico.[51] On June 29, 2026, Trump announced that he would nominate Sonderling to the position.[52] Sonderling's confirmation hearing largely focused on his prior government experience, the Department of Labor's role on how artificial intelligence is impacting the work place, efforts to fight fraud, and defending the Labor Departments ability to administer Department of Education grants.[53][54] On July 30, 2026, the United States Committee on Health Education Labor and Pension favorably reported his nomination, along party lines.[55]
Views
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.[56] 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.[57] At the commission, Sonderling voted against its final rule on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act[58] and against guidance that would consider violations of transgender employer's bathroom and pronoun preferences to be workplace discrimination.[3]
Personal life
In September 2019, Sonderling married Fara Klein, a government affairs manager at the American Forest & Paper Association, in Jerusalem;[59] they have two children.[60][61]