Sonderling moves quickly to implement Trump administration agenda

On September 30, Keith Sonderling was confirmed by the Senate as Secretary of Labor 47 to 41 on the Senate’s last day before the midterm election. President Trump nominated Sonderling after he served as acting secretary since April 2026. He had previously served at DOL and as an EEOC commissioner. 

Shortly after his confirmation, on October 8, Sonderling joined Vice President Vance to announce the indefinite suspension of Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant Technology, Infosys Ltd., Tata, Wipro Ltd., HCL Technologies Ltd., and Capgemini SE from the permanent labor certification program (PERM) as part of the administration’s “protect American workers” agenda. PERM allows employers to sponsor skilled employees on H-1B visas for permanent residency. Vance and Sonderling stated the firms had engaged in widespread abuse of the H-1B program. At the same time, it was announced that the administration opened investigations for potential abuses of the J-1 visas at nine top colleges including Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. The J-1 visa allows students to work and study in the U.S. 

Sonderling moves to implement regulatory changes