Labor secretary nominee vows to combat religious discrimination, Jew-hatred

During a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, Keith Sonderling, President Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of Labor, committed to aggressively combating religious discrimination in the workplace, including antisemitism. Sonderling, whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors who faced job discrimination due to their Jewish faith, stated, "It's a very important role for the federal government to play to protect workers and religions of all faith, and that's what you have my commitment to do." He highlighted the Labor Department's Center for Faith and an online resource designed to help workers identify religious protections. Sonderling also pledged to enforce workplace protections equally across all cases of religious bias, including antisemitism and anti-Christian bias. Additionally, he expressed awareness of the shortage of foreign religious workers and committed to collaborating with other departments to address visa restrictions. The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law endorsed Sonderling's nomination, with Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus noting that "Antisemitism in the American workplace is rising at an alarming rate, and the moment demands a Department of Labor unafraid to confront it."