Senate Confirms Keith Sonderling as U.S. Secretary of Labor
The Senate confirmed Keith Sonderling as Secretary of Labor on September 30, 2026, 47-41, giving the agency a permanent leader after he ran it in an acting capacity.
What happened: the U.S. Senate confirmed Keith Sonderling as Secretary of Labor on September 30, 2026, by a 47-41 vote. Sonderling had been heading the Department of Labor in an acting capacity after former Secretary Lori Chaves-DeRemer departed; the available reporting does not specify the timing or circumstances of that departure, so any claim about why the vacancy arose should be independently verified before it is repeated to clients.
Why sophisticated counsel cares: a confirmed Secretary is the principal political appointee driving DOL policy across the Wage and Hour Division, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and OSHA. Confirmed, rather than acting, leadership typically means a settled position on open rulemakings and enforcement priorities, and sets who defends those positions in court and before Congress. Employment teams routinely assess enforcement risk against the agency's posture — worker classification and independent-contractor questions, overtime exemption analysis, OFCCP supply-chain obligations and whistleblower exposure. The report is single-sourced, and the policy consequences here are inferred from the office rather than any announced agenda.
Next steps to watch: any departmental organization memo or priorities statement after confirmation; the status of pending wage-and-hour rulemaking and litigation challenging it; and the pace of OFCCP and EBSA guidance updates that change day-to-day client advice.