By John Gizzi | Sunday, 26 April 2026 05:16 PM EDT
A week after the resignation of embattled Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Donald Trump is expected to send Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling—now serving as acting secretary—to the Senate for confirmation as a permanent Cabinet member.
Sonderling, 43, has served in Trump’s first administration as acting administrator of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division and later as a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A West Palm Beach attorney and grandchild of Holocaust survivors, he is widely regarded as a conservative voice within the Labor Department.
This contrasts with Chavez-DeRemer, who was appointed largely due to support from Teamsters President Sean O’Brien and drew criticism on the right for her past opposition to right-to-work laws.
Earlier speculation had considered former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin for the Labor portfolio. However, administration sources reported that Trump dismissed him last week, stating he did not work hard enough to defeat a Democrat-backed redistricting referendum in his home state.
