Keith Sonderling, the acting labor secretary nominated by President Donald Trump to officially assume the role, told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing on Thursday that the federal government must play a role in shielding workers from religious discrimination, invoking his own Jewish family history to highlight his dedication to the issue.

Responding to a question from Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) regarding the department’s responsibility to protect American workers against religious discrimination, Sonderling referenced his background and emphasized that the Department of Labor under his leadership would remain committed to rooting out bias.

“My family’s personal story, as you heard, both my grandparents were Holocaust survivors,” Sonderling said. “They came over here before some of these laws were in place, and they were discriminated against based upon that, and weren’t given the employment opportunities that others were solely based upon their religion. Unfortunately, we still see that today, and that’s a very important role that we have in this administration — to root out all religious bias, including antisemitism.”

Sonderling has been operating as acting labor secretary since former Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April. He also served on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 2020 until his term expired in 2024.

Sonderling made similar comments regarding the discrimination his grandparents faced during his confirmation hearing to be deputy secretary last year.

Sonderling, speaking before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, explained that the Department of Labor launched the “Center for Faith” in March, a website which allows users to click on their state to review localized religious protections, identify workplace discrimination and access federal resources.

“We put out more guidance for religious workers to be able to come forward,” Sonderling said. “Also, too, it’s religious discrimination if religious organizations can’t get the same federal services that other organizations could get.”

“So it’s very important to me. It’s very important to the president,” he continued. “He’s issued executive orders on antisemitism, on anti-Christian bias and on religious discrimination as a whole, and we will prosecute those cases as equally as we will any other case.”

Sonderling’s nomination has drawn strong support from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for Jewish civil rights. 

Brandeis Center CEO Kenneth Marcus said in a statement following the hearing that Sonderling is the “right leader to protect Jewish workers,” pointing to the nominee’s personal background and his established track record of combating antisemitism in the workplace in his previous roles in government.

“Antisemitism in the American workplace is rising at an alarming rate, and the moment demands a Department of Labor unafraid to confront it, along with every other form of discrimination,” Marcus said. “As the grandson of Holocaust survivors, Keith understands what’s at stake in this fight in a way few others do.”

“At the EEOC, he worked to educate employers and employees on antisemitism directly, and as deputy secretary and acting secretary at the Department of Labor, he repeatedly demonstrated that combating antisemitism and discrimination is a top priority,” Marcus added.