“Throughout his career, Keith has proven his dedication to delivering strong results for the Hardworking People of our Country, and I know he will do an incredible job in his new role,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing Sonderling’s nomination, according to the Washington Post.

Employers should expect Sonderling to continue the more employer-friendly, compliance assistance approach that has marked his tenure as deputy secretary and acting secretary at the Labor Department, according to the law firm Fisher Phillips.

His familiarity with labor issues gives him a business-oriented perspective into how rules impact employers -- experience he will use making DOL policy decisions, wrote Fisher Phillips in an “Insights” post.

All 53 Senate Republicans voted to confirm Sonderling as deputy secretary last year, and there’s no reason that shouldn’t happen again, the Washington Post’s editorial board declared in an opinion column. “He’s the right pick and has basically been running the department all along,” the column stated. “While (Chavez-DeRemer) was reportedly hanging out by the pool in Las Vegas, Sonderling stayed busy in Washington enacting Trump’s deregulatory agenda and protecting independent contractors,” the column opined.

“We think the department is going to continue to focus on compliance assistance and not the gotcha game of ‘you made a mistake and therefore you’re going to be in big trouble,’” said Dave Dorey, a partner in Fisher Phillips’ Washington, DC office, in the firm’s assessment of Sonderling.

Sonderling is expected to take the lead on artificial intelligence policy at DOL, stated Fisher Phillips. During his tenure at the EEOC, he focused on artificial intelligence and its impact on employment. At the DOL, expect more action on AI to come, predicted the law firm.