PINELLAS PARK, Fla. —
While the Department of Labor doesn’t immediately conjure images of kids working out in gyms sponsored in part by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling is working to change that perception.
During Sonderling’s cross-Florida trek, the Washington Reporter interviewed him on the gym floor of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tampa Bay; Sonderling explained that Making America Great Again actually goes hand-in-hand with both Making America Healthy Again and Making America Skilled Again.
“This all plays in to what the Trump administration is doing to have a healthy and productive workforce, and a workforce that is focused,” Sonderling said of efforts by organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs to promote healthy lifestyles in and outside of classrooms. “A lot of that starts with the president’s initiatives on Making America Healthy Again, and what I found inspiring at the Boys and Girls Club here is that they integrate not only learning, not only classroom time, but physical activity, and they also take their culinary programs to make sure that they’re teaching students how to not only eat healthy food but how to prepare it for the other students here too. That integration of not only workforce development but also of a healthy lifestyle is going to help students and workers continue to thrive.”
Sonderling is optimistic that his department can utilize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to help spur job creation. WIOA’s success is a priority for top Republicans in Congress, like Rep. Tim Walberg (R., Mich.), the Chair of the House’s Education and Workforce Committee.
“We want to make America skilled again, and a lot of that is ensuring that when it comes to the federal dollars that we give out, that we’re holding states and our partners that take the money accountable,” Sonderling explained. “We’re really drilling down at the Department of Labor to make sure that every cent of your taxpayer dollar that goes to workforce development programs is actually producing. We want to focus not only on skilled workers but also on high-paying jobs for those workers, so that’s a very big, important initiative of ours.”
“And we are also excited about the Department of Education’s new workforce Pell grants. Those allow students in need to get financial aid, not just for long-term academic programs, but for short-term, eight to 15 month programs, to get a very needed skill in their local community, and get that financial aid, and get into that high-paying job,” he added. “There’s huge workforce need everywhere in the country, and there are all different types of job, but the workforce Pell grants are really going to shorten that gap by allowing students to get in these programs, get that skill quickly, and get a high-end job.”
Another way that Sonderling and his department have been at the forefront of protecting against waste in the government has been through his participation in the White House’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
“The Department of Labor has played a significant role in the White House’s task force to eliminate fraud,” Sonderling explained. “We’re working daily with Vice President JD Vance really in the unemployment insurance system, to make sure that all taxpayer dollars that are going out are going to the right reasons to help people get back on their feet; we saw that there was an incredible amount of fraud, corruption, and waste and abuse in our unemployment insurance system, and we’re making sure that every one of your taxpayer dollars that’s going out is being held accountable, and we’re going to start prosecuting, along with our inspector general.”
“Any criminal actors or people who are abusing this system, they’re going to be held accountable,” Sonderling warned. “We can’t do that without preventing this fraud from ever occurring. For the Department of Labor, we are putting new systems in place to make sure that people are who they say they are when they’re applying for government benefits, that they are actually not only qualified but that they actually need it at that time, and that there’s no fraud or theft in that, and that’s what we’ve been seeing for a long time, and that’s not going to happen under President Trump’s watch.”
While on the gym floor, Sonderling also made the case for both President Donald Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts and for Florida’s pro-growth environment specifically.
“Everyone wants to live in warm climates,” he said. “Everyone wants to live in Florida, and a lot of people and a lot of industries want to move here, but it’s easy to move here. But the harder part is actually developing the community, developing a community of employers, and making sure that there’s a talented, skilled local workforce.”
“That’s what is exciting about the visits we have today,” he said. “You have local community partners like the Boys and Girls Club, local businesses saying we want to be here in Florida for the numerous benefits of the free state of Florida, but more importantly, we can’t do that unless we’re investing in a local community and we’re giving local workers the opportunity to get these jobs that weren’t here, that normally we go to people from either out of state or from out of the country, and that’s the difference we’re seeing now, and that’s what President Trump’s policies are enabling with the Working Families Tax Cuts. That is allowing employers to invest locally, and it’s allowing employees to have more take-home pay. We’re able to see that here in Tampa today.”
Even though the gym boasted a large Buccaneers flag, Sonderling remained steadfastly neutral between Florida’s NFL teams when he was asked who he thinks will win the next Super Bowl.
“I certainly root for all Florida teams, so as long as there’s a Florida team represented, I will root for that Florida team,” he told the Reporter.
Below is a transcript of our interview with Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, lightly edited for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
One of the themes that you were hearing at this visit is the importance of a healthy lifestyle and of healthy living. We’re at a gym right now. They have the cafeteria that they work on here, they want that to go hand in hand with a healthy workforce. What were your thoughts on that part of this trip?
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling:
This all plays in to what the Trump administration is doing to have a healthy and productive workforce, and a workforce that is focused. A lot of that starts with the president’s initiatives on Making America Healthy Again, and what I found inspiring at the Boys and Girls Club here is that they integrate not only learning, not only classroom time, but physical activity, and they also take their culinary programs to make sure that they’re teaching students how to not only eat healthy food but how to prepare it for the other students here too. That integration of not only workforce development but also of a healthy lifestyle is going to help students and workers continue to thrive.
Washington Reporter:
One of the people you were speaking with during a previous stop on this trip said that once people move to Tampa, they don’t really leave. Obviously, you’re a Boca Raton guy, but how have you seen policies here in Florida make that possible?
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling:
That’s a really great point. Everyone wants to live in warm climates. Everyone wants to live in Florida, and a lot of people and a lot of industries want to move here, but it’s easy to move here. But the harder part is actually developing the community, developing a community of employers, and making sure that there’s a talented, skilled local workforce. So that’s what is exciting about the visits we have today; you have local community partners like the Boys and Girls Club, local businesses saying we want to be here in Florida for the numerous benefits of the free state of Florida, but more importantly, we can’t do that unless we’re investing in a local community and we’re giving local workers the opportunity to get these jobs that weren’t here, that normally we go to people from either out of state or from out of the country, and that’s the difference we’re seeing now, and that’s what President Trump’s policies are enabling with the Working Families Tax Cuts. That is allowing employers to invest locally, and it’s allowing employees to have more take-home pay. We’re able to see that here in Tampa today.
Washington Reporter:
One of the aspects that Congress, and Tim Walberg in particular on Ed and Workforce, has focused on is WIOA; how can Congress work with the administration to advance the priorities that you were just talking about from the Department of Labor’s standpoint?
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling:
We want to make America skilled again, and a lot of that is ensuring that when it comes to the federal dollars that we give out, that we’re holding states and our partners that take the money accountable. We’re really drilling down at the Department of Labor to make sure that every cent of your taxpayer dollar that goes to workforce development programs is actually producing. We want to focus not only on skilled workers but also on high-paying jobs for those workers, so that’s a very big, important initiative of ours. And we are also excited about the Department of Education’s new workforce Pell grants. Those allow students in need to get financial aid, not just for long-term academic programs, but for short-term, eight to 15 month programs, to get a very needed skill in their local community, and get that financial aid, and get into that high-paying job. There’s huge workforce need everywhere in the country, and there are all different types of job, but the workforce Pell grants are really going to shorten that gap by allowing students to get in these programs, get that skill quickly, and get a high-end job.
Washington Reporter:
How does that work combine with the work that you’re doing on the White House’s task force on fraud?
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling:
The Department of Labor has played a significant role in the White House’s task force to eliminate fraud. We’re working daily with Vice President JD Vance really in the unemployment insurance system, to make sure that all taxpayer dollars that are going out are going to the right reasons to help people get back on their feet; we saw that there was an incredible amount of fraud, corruption, and waste and abuse in our unemployment insurance system, and we’re making sure that every one of your taxpayer dollars that’s going out is being held accountable, and we’re going to start prosecuting, along with our inspector general. Any criminal actors or people who are abusing this system, they’re going to be held accountable. We can’t do that without preventing this fraud from ever occurring. For the Department of Labor, we are putting new systems in place to make sure that people are who they say they are when they’re applying for government benefits, that they are actually not only qualified but that they actually need it at that time, and that there’s no fraud or theft in that, and that’s what we’ve been seeing for a long time, and that’s not going to happen under President Trump’s watch.
Washington Reporter:
You’re a Florida man, so this is very risky, but we have the Buccaneers logo behind us. Who do you think is going to win the Super Bowl?
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling:
I certainly root for all Florida teams, so as long as there’s a Florida team represented, I will root for that Florida team.
