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Donald Trump to nominate Keith Sonderling for deputy labor secretary

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Washington — President-elect Donald Trump is set to nominate former Department of Labor official Keith Sonderling for deputy labor secretary, according to multiple reports.

Sonderling served as a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from September 2020 to August 2024 and was vice chair of the commission from September 2020 to January 2021. In addition, he was acting administrator of the DOL Wage and Hour Division from January to April 2019.

Sonderling will likely appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee sometime in the near future.

“Keith Sonderling has a great reputation and extensive experience in labor policy, running the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Wage and Hour Division,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who chairs the HELP Committee, said in a press release. “I look forward to meeting with him and the committee considering his nomination.”

If confirmed, Sonderling would replace Julie Su, who has been serving as labor secretary in an acting capacity since March 2023, when Marty Walsh resigned.

In November, Trump announced his intention to nominate former Oregon congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer for labor secretary. As of press time, a Senate HELP Committee confirmation hearing for Chavez-DeRemer had not been scheduled.

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