WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling issued the following statement regarding the June 2026 Employment Situation Report:

“The policies championed by President Trump and the Working Families Tax Cuts continue to drive private-sector employment, accelerating from last year. This administration has created more than 900,000 jobs while keeping government employment at its lowest levels since 1966. The certainty that our manufacturers and construction sectors are seeing thanks to the permanency of key tax provisions will fuel economic growth for American businesses, families, and workers across the country. 

The June Jobs Report added 57,000 jobs marking the fourth consecutive month of positive payroll growth. Manufacturing employment, which was devastated under the Biden Administration, continues to grow as we secure historic investments and reshoring of critical industries.

President Trump’s America first agenda continues to provide greater wages for workers and certainty to the sectors which will fuel the next 250 years of U.S. economic security.”

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today issued guidance clarifying that employer contributions made to a minor child’s Trump Account will not generally be subject to Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. 

A Technical Release from the department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration provides clear guidance regarding the treatment of Trump Accounts given their unique status as an individual retirement account that may be funded by contributions from employers, governments, charitable organizations, and family members.

“This guidance should provide the clarity that employers need as the Administration rolls out Trump Accounts to jumpstart a golden age of investing in future generations,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling. “Through President Trump’s leadership, Trump Accounts are a strong first step towards a secure financial future.” 

Trump Accounts will build long-term financial security for millions of U.S. citizens under 18 through tax-advantaged investments. Each child born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, is eligible to receive a $1,000 contribution to their Trump Account from the Treasury Department. Families can also contribute up to $5,000 a year to each Trump Account. In addition, state, local, and tribal governments as well as charities and employers can contribute to a child’s Trump Account. 

Parents or guardians looking to build long-term financial security for their children or dependents can visit TrumpAccounts.gov to enroll in the program and find out more information on creating an account and downloading the official app. 
 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and its Office of Inspector General today announced the recovery of $512,138,478 in fraudulent CARES Act funds to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. This marks the second major recovery from the Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance, bringing the total of funds recovered from the state to more than $1 billion. 

“Today’s return of hard-earned American taxpayer dollars represents more than a financial recovery – it reinforces our commitment to protecting American workers and the programs they depend on,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “This result was made possible through close coordination with the department’s Office of Inspector General. Together, we are restoring trust and integrity in these programs and putting money back where it belongs – in the pockets of hardworking Americans.”

These recoveries are the direct result of the Maryland Department of Labor’s continued efforts to strengthen program integrity and combat fraud. Working with a financial institution, Maryland was able to identify and freeze the suspicious funds that were flagged by the department’s Office of Inspector General and Employment and Training Administration. 

“This is accountability in action – half a billion dollars in stolen taxpayer funds – identified, frozen, and returned to the Treasury. Through continued collaboration with the department and Acting Secretary Sonderling, we were able to produce real, measurable results for the American people,” said Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito. “This recovery represents a major victory for the American taxpayer and is a clear demonstration of our commitment to clawing back every stolen dollar.”

For additional information on the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, please visit oig.dol.gov. If you suspect wrongdoing involving Department of Labor programs or operations, contact 800-347-3756 or oig.dol.gov/hotlinecontact.htm.

WASHINGTON – Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling issued formal letters to the governors of 53 U.S. states and territories today, demanding immediate action to combat fraud, waste, and abuse within the unemployment insurance program. 

In the letters, the department announced its intent to crack down on rampant fraud and end mismanagement, improper payments, and corruption within the UI program. Acting Secretary Sonderling notified states that, in partnership with the Office of the Inspector General, the department will use every available enforcement tool—including withholding administrative funds from states for the first time in history—to ensure compliance in protecting UI system integrity and safeguarding taxpayer dollars. 

“We are officially putting governors on notice,” said Acting Secretary Sonderling. “The American people will no longer tolerate the blatant waste, fraud, and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars — no state should allow it either. If states allow it, they will suffer the consequences. This department is no longer afraid to use every lever available to ensure taxpayer money is protected.” 

Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito added, “The days of excuses are over. States that fail to protect taxpayer dollars should expect consequences. Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling and I will use every available enforcement tool to demand accountability, recover stolen money, and ensure unemployment benefits only go to eligible Americans.” 

In the letters, Acting Secretary Sonderling, a member of President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President JD Vance, detailed how years of failed oversight, outdated technology, weak identity verification, and lax controls allowed unprecedented fraud to flourish.

Among the most glaring examples: 

• California – More than $20 billion in debt to the federal government after years of fraud, improper payments, and mismanagement of its UI system.
• New York – Losing an estimated $2 million every day to fraud and improper payments, while posting one of the highest improper payment rates in the nation, exceeding 20%.
• Illinois – Improperly paying out more than $320 million in taxpayer funds at a rate of more than 14%, one of the highest improper payment rates in the nation. 

The Department of Labor is committed to rooting out fraud, enforcing UI eligibility requirements, and protecting American taxpayers. States that fail to safeguard these programs jeopardize benefits intended for hardworking Americans who demonstrate a legitimate need for temporary assistance. 

Additional guidance and directives will be issued to the states in the coming weeks. 

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling issued the following statement regarding the May 2026 Employment Situation Report:

“President Trump and this Administration once again produced the best month of job creation since taking office, demolishing economists’ expectations. This Administration is proving the cynics wrong and American workers, families, and businesses are winning.

The May Jobs Report overperformed on every level, adding 172,000 jobs and marking the third consecutive month of positive payroll growth. Thanks to President Trump, manufacturing jobs are up 25,000 in 2026 and construction jobs have increased by 71,000 since he took office – a true testament to this Administration’s priorities.

Under the President’s leadership, American workers are seeing benefits in real time: rising wages, increased affordability, and over 903,000 private sector jobs added. The Department of Labor remains committed to advancing a bold, pro-worker agenda and will continue delivering for the American people.” 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and its Office of Inspector General today announced they have jointly issued formal letters demanding that financial institutions immediately preserve funds held in prepaid debit card accounts linked to fraudulent unemployment insurance claims issued across many states during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 In a letter, Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling and Inspector General Anthony P. D'Esposito called on the financial institutions to freeze all identified accounts through December 31, 2026, while federal investigators work to recover potentially fraudulent funds tied to pandemic-era UI schemes. The action, in coordination with President Donald J. Trump’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, seeks to prevent stolen taxpayer dollars from disappearing through state unclaimed property processes known as escheatment.

 “During the pandemic, criminals and bad actors exploited weaknesses to steal billions of dollars from the American people,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we have made it clear that those days are over. We are working with Vice President Vance to ensure we use every tool at our disposal to track down stolen funds, hold fraudsters accountable, and return money to the taxpayers to ensure this program is used as intended.”

 “Our office has already issued alert memoranda sounding the alarm, and the time for excuses is over. Every dollar lost through delay or inaction is taxpayer money handed directly to fraudsters. We will pursue every avenue to recover these funds, and we will not allow bureaucrats or criminals to run out the clock,” said Inspector General Anthony P. D'Esposito. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment insurance programs experienced an unprecedented surge in fraudulent claims. Bad actors exploited program vulnerabilities to collect benefits they were never entitled to, in many cases through prepaid debit card accounts administered by financial institutions on behalf of state workforce agencies. Some of those funds remain dormant in accounts that, under normal circumstances, would soon be transferred to state unclaimed property agencies – a process that would make them significantly harder or impossible to recover.

To prevent that outcome, the department and its OIG are requesting that the financial institutions:

• Freeze and preserve all accounts identified in a confidential attachment through Dec. 31, 2026.
• Cooperate proactively with federal investigators to keep funds identifiable and recoverable.
• Coordinate directly with the department and its OIG on compliance and preservation efforts.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and its Office of Inspector General has announced a partnership in furtherance of President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order, “Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.” 

Under the leadership of Vice President JD Vance, the department and the OIG will work together to safeguard American taxpayers and address widespread fraud and performance concerns related to the unemployment insurance programs administered across the country. 

“Unemployment-insurance systems nationwide face significant financial and performance failures. For too long, these problems have gone unchallenged. That ends now,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “The Department of Labor is working alongside OIG agents to investigate potential fraud and misuse. Our mission is clear: Restore accountability and safeguard workers and taxpayers.”

This multi-agency partnership within the department demonstrates an unparalleled level of collaboration with the OIG with department program offices and its independent watchdog working shoulder-to-shoulder to stop fraud before taxpayer dollars are put at risk. 

“We’re taking a proactive approach by working directly with the strike teams deployed by the department’s Employment and Training Administration – providing data and analytical capabilities and support, placing investigators at the front lines where the threat begins. Together with the acting secretary, we are committed to a zero-tolerance mission: ensuring not one fraudulent dollar leaves the building,” said U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito.

“This partnership gives us a direct line to Vice President Vance’s ‘Task Force to Eliminate Fraud,’ supercharging our investigations and prosecutions to deliver faster, stronger justice and put fraudsters behind bars,” D’Esposito added.

Acting Secretary Sonderling and Inspector General D’Esposito both serve on the “Task Force to Eliminate Fraud,” which is committed to fighting fraud, closing loopholes, enforcing eligibility rules, and protecting benefits for eligible Americans, while ensuring states administering unemployment insurance benefits do the same. 

“Acting Secretary Sonderling and Inspector General D’Esposito are invaluable partners. Today’s announcement is a critical step toward stopping the theft from American taxpayers,” said Task Force Executive Director Scott Brady. 

The resources and executive commitment dedicated by President Trump and Vice President Vance significantly enhance the resources provided to the DOL Office of Unemployment Insurance within ETA and the investigative capacity of OIG, ensuring those who exploit federal benefit programs are held accountable under the law.

Some of the most problematic state unemployment-insurance programs include California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. These six states combined are responsible for paying out nearly $19 billion annually in unemployment-insurance benefits. 

In fiscal year 2025 alone, these six states issued more than $2.6 billion in improper unemployment-insurance benefits, including over $1.2 billion in fraudulent payments. Additionally, in fiscal year 2025, California, Massachusetts, and New York topped the list of states with the most fraud exposure.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an enforcement action against Cloudera Inc. following the allegations that it violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by unlawfully discriminating against hiring American workers in favor of foreign labor.

“Protecting the integrity of our immigration and labor systems requires employers to follow the law and provide American workers a fair opportunity to compete for jobs,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “Today’s action reflects this Administration’s commitment to holding bad actors accountable when they attempt to circumvent those protections.”

As part of the enforcement action, the department’s Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification has suspended processing of all permanent labor certification applications filed by, or on behalf of, Cloudera for 180 days. The PERM program allows employers to sponsor workers for permanent resident status, only after completing recruitment of U.S. workers. There is potential for an extension of the enforcement action pending the results of a Department of Justice investigation.

This action follows evidence obtained by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division alleging Cloudera engineered a non-functional recruitment process that prevented qualified American workers from applying for high-paying technology positions while certifying to ETA that no qualified U.S. workers were available. On April 28, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against Cloudera with its Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, which has jurisdiction over cases arising under the INA.

While the department already initiated the suspension of all PERM applications filed by, or on behalf of, Cloudera, it will continue to proactively enforce its existing suspension authority against any employer, attorney, or agent who is under investigation by Justice or other government entity for possible fraud or willful misrepresentation in relation to the permanent labor certification program.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling issued the following statement regarding the April 2026 Employment Situation Report:

“Despite doom-and-gloom rhetoric from pundits and economists, America’s economic comeback is clearly accelerating under President Trump, with job growth now shattering expectations two months in a row. 115,000 jobs were added in April, doubling expectations and proving 94% of Bloomberg economists wrong. The unemployment rate remained steady and total private sector job growth under this Administration now stands at more than 700,000 new jobs.

“Thanks to President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts, job creators were clearly feeling empowered this tax season and are investing in American workers. Our skilled workforce is seeing the benefits, with continued job growth in construction and a strong 5.2% year-over-year increase in manufacturing weekly earnings.

“The President is bringing workers off the sidelines – growing the private sector while continuing to right-size the federal government, saving taxpayers billions of dollars per year. The Department of Labor remains fully committed to advancing commonsense workforce development policies to prepare American workers for the good-paying, in-demand jobs being created by President Trump’s America First policies.”

WASHINGTON – Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling today announced key senior leadership roles within the Office of the Secretary to support the department’s ongoing work advancing President Trump’s agenda and delivering results for American workers, employers, and retirees. 

“I’m proud to have a strong, experienced team in place to continue driving the department’s mission forward,” said Acting Secretary Sonderling. “Each of these individuals brings a deep understanding of the department’s work and a demonstrated ability to execute at a high level. Collectively, we are well-positioned to build on our progress and continue delivering meaningful results for American workers and businesses across the nation.”

The following individuals will serve in senior roles within the Office of the Secretary under Acting Secretary Keith Sonderling:

Courtney Walter, Chief of Staff – Walter previously served as senior counselor to the Secretary and served in various capacities at the department during the first Trump Administration, including as Senior Counsel in the Office of the Solicitor. Walter previously worked in the private sector, focusing on labor and employment matters. Walter has a bachelor’s degree from Penn State and a law degree from the Florida International University College of Law, where she graduated as valedictorian. Following law school, she spent two years clerking for the Honorable Ursula Ungaro in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Garrett Buttrey, Deputy Chief of Staff – Buttrey previously served as chief of staff and senior policy advisor for the department’s Wage and Hour Division where he provided counsel to Wage and Hour Administrator Andrew Rogers on policy development, regulatory guidance, enforcement, and other matters before the agency. Before joining the Trump Administration in 2025, Buttrey served as senior policy counsel and chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions where he provided strategic counsel to the chairman as he developed the committee’s labor policy agenda, conducted oversight, and managed nominations. Buttrey began his career in the private sector as a litigator representing clients in labor and employment matters, including wage and hour issues, employment discrimination litigation, collective bargaining, and grievance arbitration. He was also an adjunct professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and a law degree from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.

Cynthia McKnight, Deputy Chief of Staff – McKnight previously served as chief of staff and senior counselor to the Deputy Secretary of Labor. She has extensive labor and employment experience, having worked at multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, Federal Labor Relations Authority, and Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. Before entering public service, McKnight worked in the private sector focusing on corporate and securities matters. She began her career clerking for Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Miami University and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Joseph Burgese, Senior Advisor -- Burgese previously served in the department as policy advisor for the Wage and Hour Division and chief of staff in the Office of Public Liaison, where he served as the primary contact to outside stakeholders. Prior to being appointed in the Trump Administration, he worked in the private sector where he focused on business development and financial strategy. He has also worked on gubernatorial, congressional, and senate campaigns throughout Pennsylvania, where he advised on strategy implementation, and is an alum of Turning Point USA. Burgese has a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University and earned his MBA from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, where he graduated summa cum laude.