HELP Committee Advanced NAM-Supported Sonderling Nomination
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday advanced the nomination of NAM-backed acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling (POLITICO).
What’s going on: “The panel voted 12-11 along party lines in favor of Sonderling, who has led the department on an interim basis since Lori Chavez-DeRemer stepped down in April.”
- Sonderling, who served as Chavez-DeRemer’s deputy for the year that she was secretary, worked at the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission during the first Trump administration.
The NAM’s support: The NAM and its 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate, the Manufacturing Institute, voiced support for the nomination to the committee last week.
- In his current and previous roles, Sonderling “has shown his commitment to addressing workforce shortages in the U.S., including by emphasizing apprenticeship programs and other skills trainings to bolster our manufacturing industry,” the groups told HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Why it’s important: Sonderling has laid out a pro-growth “regulatory policy agenda that has fostered productive employer–employee relations and investment certainty for manufacturers to grow and compete,” the NAM and MI continued.
From the outset: Following President Trump’s nomination, NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons welcomed the nomination:
- “At a critical moment for manufacturers and the manufacturing workforce, with more than 400,000 open jobs across the sector, we look forward to working with [Sonderling] on policies that strengthen and upskill manufacturing workers, help more Americans build meaningful careers in manufacturing and give manufacturers the ability to compete in the long term.”
What’s next: The nomination now goes to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.
