On Labor Day 250, Acting DOL Sec. Keith Sonderling Touts American Jobs and Manufacturing Renaissance

As RedState reported, Friday's August Jobs Report was beyond expectations. What a great way to enter this Labor Day, marking the 250th anniversary of the American worker. Advertisement As my RedState colleague, Nick Arama, wrote: Non-farm payrolls for August were up 162,000, about three times expectations of 53,000. That was already higher than the average monthly increase of about 31,000. So you can see why the enthusiasm. Unemployment remained at 4.1 percent. Our RedState editor Becca Lower further reported that the key metric here is the gain in private sector employment and the shrinkage of government employment. Under President Donald Trump's administration, one million new private-sector jobs have been added to the American economy. Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling took to the cable airwaves to talk about the Jobs Report and delve more deeply into just how much of a game changer it is. On Saturday, he appeared on Fox News' 'The Big Weekend Show' and engaged the panel on how these numbers not only tripled expectations, but marked some huge milestones. Sonderling said: 'That's exactly what the president promised, that's exactly what the president delivered on. As you mentioned, the federal sector is now in its lowest since 1966. So, the president promised to bring back high-skilled, high-paying jobs, we're seeing that with a million new jobs in his administration. And [with] this Jobs Report, there's no better way to kick off Labor Day, and makes my job really easy as Labor Secretary. So, thank you, President Trump.' Advertisement WATCH: President Trump wanted to celebrate Labor Day BIG — so how did he do it? By TRIPLING economists' expectations: 162,000 new jobs in August, surpassing ONE MILLION new private-sector jobs since taking office. College football is back — and so are new high-paying private-sector jobs! No better way to kick off Labor Day. It makes my job really easy as Labor Secretary, so thank you, @POTUS! 🇺🇸 Do the math. President Trump is the first president in 60 YEARS who has reduced the government sector rather than expanded it. According to analysis on OpenFeds: Since January 2025, DOGE-driven restructuring has eliminated approximately 256,000 federal positions — the largest deliberate right-sizing of the federal workforce since the post-Cold War drawdown of the 1990s. Here's every number, verified against GAO and OPM data. Sources: GAO, OPM FedScope, Federal News Network, CBO 256,000 Positions Eliminated between Jan 2025 – Jun 2026 $24 billion estimated annual savings in salary and benefits 128 agencies impacted Advertisement As of August, the federal workforce stands at 1.81 million, down from 2.07 million at the beginning of Trump's term in 2025. It all adds up to an American economic comeback. On Monday, Sonderling appeared on 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the 'historic Jobs Report.' Sonderling talked with co-host Lawrence Jones about how economists were pessimistic about the labor market and the economy, but how the Trump administration beat and bested the odds. 'The American worker is our greatest national resource, ' Sonderling said. He continued: 'American workers continue to lead and continue to dominate. There's never been a better time to be an American worker than under President Trump. And that's what we're seeing across the board, the job numbers are reflective of that.' WATCH: Despite the tariff, AI, and data center fearmongering from politicians like Democrat Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), America is experiencing a manufacturing renaissance thanks to the tariffs and because AI is transforming how businesses operate. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent pre-gamed this in June in his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee. Advertisement He pointed to roughly 90,000 new non‑residential construction jobs tied to factories, a 50% expansion of Boeing's plant in Charleston, S.C., that he said will translate into 1,000 high‑paying manufacturing jobs, new John Deere facilities in Indiana and North Carolina, and pharmaceutical companies reshoring production. Taken together, it's the picture of a genuine build‑out: Trade groups count more than 130 semiconductor‑related projects worth over $600 billion announced since 2020, while clean‑energy trackers show record battery and solar capacity coming online, heavily concentrated in a few states. Bessent credited Trump's Working Families Tax Cuts and full‑expensing provisions for tilting investment decisions in America's favor, citing Winnebago's choice to build a battery research facility in Florida after the tax code boosted its internal rate of return, which he said means more jobs in the 'Sunshine State.' On the other end of the financial spectrum, Apollo Global Management chief economist Torsten Slok has been telling clients a remarkably similar story, minus the partisan edge. In recent notes and presentations, Slok has argued the U.S. is in the midst of an 'industrial renaissance,' driven by a wave of factory construction, mega-projects in semiconductors, batteries, and clean energy, and a multi‑year capital‑expenditure boom. Advertisement Sonderling affirmed that the Jobs Report moved this beyond what some might consider spin to actual results. Sonderling concluded his 'Fox & Friends' interview by previewing the results in real time. WATCH: Editor's Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump's America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress. Help RedState continue to report on the Democrats' radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership. How useful was this post? Click on a star to rate it! Submit Rating Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0 No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post. About the author: TSPAN P. Tell us something about yourself. What did you think of this story? Spin it or stop it! 0 Spin 0 No Spin 🤖 T-SPAN AI estimate · 0% Spin · refines with your vote (0/10)