Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Confirmed
By Richard Lehr - Lehr Middlebrooks Vreeland & Thompson, P.C.
October 6, 2026
On October 2nd, the U. S. Senate, in a 47-41 vote, confirmed Keith Sonderling as the Secretary of Labor. He has served as Acting Secretary of Labor since April, when then-Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned.
Mr. Sonderling is no stranger to the DOL. He served as Acting and Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division during the first Trump administration. He later served as one of the five EEOC Commissioners. His term with the EEOC expired in August 2024.
What can we expect from Secretary Sonderling? Perhaps his tenure at the EEOC is more insightful than his role as Acting Secretary of Labor. During his tenure with the Commission, Secretary Sonderling focused on the use of artificial intelligence in making employment-related decisions. This may be an area of focus in his role at DOL. The Agency’s primary responsibilities include administering the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also under DOL’s purview. No doubt there will be opportunities for Secretary Sonderling to pursue the impact of artificial intelligence on the statutes and agencies within the Department of Labor.
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