Senate Confirms Keith Sonderling as Labor Secretary

The Senate confirmed Keith Sonderling as secretary of labor in a 47-41 vote Wednesday, installing President Donald Trump’s nominee after Sonderling had served as acting head of the Department of Labor. The vote followed party lines: all senators voting for confirmation were Republicans and all voting against were Democrats. Twelve senators did not vote. Sonderling had been serving as acting secretary since April, after former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer left the administration. Trump nominated Sonderling to the permanent post in June. His confirmation gives him formal authority over a department responsible for enforcing federal laws on wages, workplace safety and employee benefits, among other areas. The vote was the Senate’s final action before senators left Washington to campaign ahead of the November midterm elections, according to accounts of the chamber’s schedule. Reports differed on how long the break would last, describing it as a month, six weeks or through the election. The precise duration was not established in the information available. One account said the Senate’s first vote after the break was scheduled for November 9.