After months of leading the Labor Department without a permanent title, Keith Sonderling was confirmed as Secretary of Labor in a 47-41 party-line vote — a quiet resolution to a chapter marked by institutional turbulence. His predecessor's departure under the shadow of an inspector general's damning report left the agency in need of steadying, and Sonderling, a veteran of Trump's first term, had already spent five months attempting to provide it. The confirmation, the Senate's last act before recess, reflects both the administration's appetite for rapid Cabinet realignment and the enduring hum
Senate confirms Keith Sonderling as labor secretary in party-line vote
A toxic, intimidating work environment under his predecessor
Mark
So Sonderling gets confirmed after already doing the job for five months. Why did it take that long?
Mimi
The Senate was divided on him from the start—it's a party-line vote, 47 to 41. That's the reality of confirmation politics right now. But he'd been nominated in June, so there was a gap between nomination and the actual vote.
Luke
We don't know from the reporting why that gap existed. Could have been scheduling, could have been deliberate delay. The source doesn't say.
Mimi
Fair. What we do know is that his predecessor left under a cloud. The inspector general report came out describing a toxic workplace, policy violations.
Mark
And Sonderling was mentioned in that report?
Mimi
Barely. One mention—that Chavez-DeRemer and her chief of staff didn't trust him. That's it.
Luke
Which is interesting because it suggests he wasn't part of whatever created the toxic environment. But the reporting doesn't explore whether that helped or hurt his confirmation chances.
Mark
Did the inspector general report actually speed up his confirmation, or did it just make the whole thing messier?
Mimi
The source doesn't tell us. What we know is the vote happened, it was party-line, and he's now officially in the job instead of acting.
Luke
And this was the Senate's last vote before recess. So there was a deadline pressure—get it done before leaving for midterms.
Mark
That feels significant. Was this rushed through, or was it just the natural timing?
Mimi
The source presents it as the last order of business, but doesn't characterize it as rushed. It's factual reporting of what happened, not speculation about why.
The Pulse
- The Labor Department had been adrift for months — its previous leader forced out amid a scathing 44-page inspector general report describing a 'toxic, intimidating and humiliating' workplace she had created.
- Sonderling found himself named in that same report as someone Chavez-DeRemer and her chief of staff had come to distrust, a detail that shadowed his acting tenure.
- The Trump administration moved swiftly to nominate Sonderling in June, part of a broader pattern of Cabinet reshuffling that also saw the exits of the attorney general and homeland security secretary.
- The Senate confirmed him on a strict party-line vote — 47 to 41 — with no crossover, underscoring how thoroughly partisan the confirmation process has become.
- With the vote cast, senators departed for recess and campaign season, leaving Sonderling to lead the department now without the provisional weight of an 'acting' designation.
After months of leading the Labor Department without a permanent title, Keith Sonderling was confirmed as Secretary of Labor in a 47-41 party-line vote — a quiet resolution to a chapter marked by institutional turbulence. His predecessor's departure under the shadow of an inspector general's damning report left the agency in need of steadying, and Sonderling, a veteran of Trump's first term, had already spent five months attempting to provide it. The confirmation, the Senate's last act before recess, reflects both the administration's appetite for rapid Cabinet realignment and the enduring human question of who is trusted to steward the conditions of working life.
Keith Sonderling was confirmed as Secretary of Labor on Wednesday in a 47-41 party-line Senate vote, bringing formal resolution to months of uncertainty at an agency that had weathered significant leadership upheaval. He had already been running the department in an acting capacity since late April, when his predecessor Lori Chavez-DeRemer stepped down under mounting pressure.
Chavez-DeRemer's exit was not a quiet one. The Labor Department's inspector general released a 44-page report in the weeks before her departure, describing a 'toxic, intimidating and humiliating' work environment and documenting multiple policy violations during her tenure. Sonderling appeared briefly in the report — noted as someone Chavez-DeRemer and her chief of staff had grown to distrust — a detail that colored the early months of his acting role.
Nominated in June, Sonderling brought relevant experience: he had served at both the Labor Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission during Trump's first term, and had practiced employment law in Florida. The president praised him as someone who had proven his dedication to working Americans. By the time the Senate voted, Sonderling had effectively been doing the job for five months.
His confirmation was the Senate's final act before lawmakers left for recess and campaign season ahead of the midterms. It also fit within a broader pattern of Cabinet reshuffling under the Trump administration, which had already seen the departures of the attorney general and the homeland security secretary earlier in the year. With the vote concluded, Sonderling can now lead the Labor Department without the provisional weight of an acting title.
Keith Sonderling became labor secretary on Wednesday when the Senate voted to confirm him, ending months of uncertainty about who would permanently lead the department. The vote split cleanly along party lines: 47 senators in favor, 41 opposed. Sonderling had already been running the Labor Department in an acting capacity since late April, when his predecessor Lori Chavez-DeRemer stepped down amid mounting pressure.
The president nominated Sonderling in June, describing him as someone who had "proven his dedication to delivering strong results for the Hardworking People of our Country." Sonderling's background includes work at the Labor Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission during the first Trump administration, as well as years practicing employment and labor law at a firm in Florida. His confirmation came after he had effectively been doing the job for five months, giving him time to stabilize an agency that had been roiled by leadership turmoil.
Chavez-DeRemer's departure was not quiet. In the weeks before she left, the Labor Department's inspector general released a 44-page report that painted a damaging picture of her tenure. The report described a "toxic, intimidating and humiliating" work environment and detailed what it characterized as multiple violations of department policy. The investigation had been underway for some time, with news outlets reporting on the scrutiny she faced before her exit became official. Sonderling appeared only briefly in the inspector general's findings—in one section noting that Chavez-DeRemer and her chief of staff had grown to distrust him.
Sonderling's confirmation was part of a broader reshuffling of the Cabinet under the Trump administration. Chavez-DeRemer's exit followed the departure of other senior officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who left in March. These changes reflected the administration's willingness to move quickly when it deemed leadership changes necessary.
The Senate vote on Wednesday was the chamber's final order of business before senators left town for the remainder of the month. With midterm elections approaching, lawmakers were heading to their home states to campaign. Sonderling's confirmation, though it came down to a strict party-line division, cleared the way for him to continue leading the Labor Department without the acting designation that had marked his first months in the role.
Notable Quotes
The president said Sonderling had proven his dedication to delivering strong results for hardworking people— President Trump, in nominating Sonderling in June
Want the full story?
Read the original at CBS News ↗