Keith Sonderling Sworn In as 31st US Secretary of Labor
Keith Sonderling was officially sworn in Oct. 2 as the nation's 31st Labor Secretary after Senate confirmation on Sept. 30.
Keith Sonderling was sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Labor on Oct. 2 in a White House ceremony administered by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. President Donald Trump nominated Sonderling on June 29, and the Senate confirmed him Sept. 30. The swearing-in took place in the Oval Office.
Sonderling had already been directing the department as Acting Secretary since April 2026, following his Senate-confirmed appointment as Deputy Secretary in March 2025. In that deputy role, he managed day-to-day operations spanning budget formulation, strategic planning, information technology, and human resources.
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Before his tenure at the Labor Department, Sonderling served as a commissioner at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from September 2020 to August 2024, including a stint as Vice Chair. During that period he emerged as a prominent voice on artificial superintelligence in the workplace, publishing research and speaking internationally on the future of work.
Sonderling's government portfolio has expanded well beyond labor policy. Trump has concurrently designated him Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, a role he continues to hold alongside his new cabinet position. He has also served as Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development during Trump's second term. Prior to federal service, Sonderling was a partner at Gunster, a Florida-based law firm, where he specialized in labor and employment law.
"It is the honor of my life to serve as the 31st Secretary of Labor," Sonderling said following the ceremony. Continue reading at DOL News Releases and Briefs.
