The Senate voted 47-41 on Wednesday to confirm Keith Sonderling, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, as U.S. labor secretary.
Sonderling told JNS that defending Jews from workplace bias is “personal” for him.
“President Trump’s administration has made this a priority, to make sure that not just antisemitism is eliminated but all religious bias is eliminated,” he previously told JNS.
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, stated that “Keith has already demonstrated his commitment to supporting American workers, creating jobs and removing burdensome regulations that limit opportunity.”
Sonderling “understands that when American workers and job creators succeed, our country succeeds,” Walberg stated.
Sonderling has been acting labor secretary since April. The previous secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, resigned amid several allegations, including of a toxic workplace.
A longtime Labor Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission official, Sonderling was deputy labor secretary and EEOC commissioner during the first Trump administration.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, stated that Sonderling “knows what it takes to protect workers and help businesses create jobs.”
