NEW ROLE: Erika Bone is now Rep. Virginia Foxx’s (R., N.C.) scheduler; Bone was previously the Director of Scheduling and Operations for Rep. Mike Bost (R., Ill.). She is also an alum of Rep. Ann Wagner (R., Mo.).
APPLY NOW: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that, thanks to the Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is “surging $300 million in grant funds to support 2-4 cities with a population of 100k or more who are serious in reducing violent crime, restoring law and order, and modernizing their public safety infrastructure.” Applications are due September 1, and can be found here.
BOARD ADDITION: Former Vice President Mike Pence’s Advancing American Freedom (AAF) announced that Edmund O. Schweitzer III is joining its board.
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Interviews
TAMARAC, Fla. —
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling visited a Florida-based furniture store to learn firsthand how President Donald Trump’s agenda is helping American workers.
During a visit to City Furniture’s Tamarac location — where Sonderling himself has been a customer in the past — the newest member of Trump’s cabinet spoke with workers and management to hear about how Trump’s Golden Age has kept companies like City Furniture in business.
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Interviews
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling told the Washington Reporter in an exclusive interview that the Labor Department is examining a proposed federal workplace heat rule that was introduced under the Biden administration.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule that was announced during the Biden administration in July 2024 would establish nationwide standards requiring employers to mitigate heat-related risks across indoor and outdoor workplaces.
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Interviews
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.
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Interviews
BOCA RATON, Fla. —
While Keith Sonderling, the Acting Labor Secretary, did not attend Florida Atlantic University (FAU) for college or for law school, he is now an expert at what both its nationally-recognized laboratory school and its College of Engineering and Computer Science offer, following an extensive visit to both campuses, where he saw firsthand about how American schools are innovating in real time to train students for the jobs of the future.
Sonderling started the day off at the Alexander D. Henderson University School, which is a public elementary and middle school on FAU’s campus. While touring the new campus, he participated first-hand in surgeries that students were working on with sheep brains and with a green bell pepper — although in the estimation of those present, he would be better off sticking with his day job.
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Exclusives
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling pointed to apprenticeship programs like those developed with major manufacturers as a model for connecting Americans with high-paying jobs and supporting the Trump administration’s manufacturing agenda.
The comments came during an interview with the Washington Reporter when Sonderling was asked about Ford’s work with workforce training programs and how the Department of Labor plans to partner with major domestic and international employers during what President Trump has called a new American manufacturing boom.
Ford has been among the companies investing in American production and workforce development as manufacturers expand operations across the country.
