Policy Week in Review – July 17, 2026

Secretary of Labor Nominee Keith Sonderling Testifies at Senate Confirmation Hearing 

On Thursday, President Trump’s nominee to be the next Secretary of Labor, the Honorable Keith Sonderling, testified at the confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).  Currently serving as the Acting Secretary of Labor, Sonderling has extensive workplace policy experience, including private practice as a labor and employment attorney and, more recently, serving in various leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission during both the Trump and Biden administrations.  Throughout his public service in Washington, Sonderling has worked in a nonpartisan manner to restore regulatory certainty and clarity for American employers and employees, address workplace discrimination, promote apprenticeships to aid worker training, and help navigate workforce changes amid the digital revolution. Sonderling is currently working with Vice President Vance to combat federal waste, fraud, and abuse.  As the next step, the Committee will hold a meeting to vote on whether to favorably report his nomination to the full Senate floor for a vote.  Sonderling is widely expected to be confirmed. 

NLRB Nominees Advance in the Senate

On Wednesday, the Senate HELP Committee voted to approve the nominations of James Macy and David Prouty to be Members of the National Labor Relations Board, as well as nomination of Brett Matsumoto to be the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner. These nominations will now move to the full Senate floor for a vote.  If confirmed, Macy will give the Board a 3-1 Republican majority, which could lead to major policy shifts from Biden-era decisions. 

House Committee on Education and Workforce to Mark-up Pending Legislation

The House Committee on Education and Workforce will hold a markup on Tuesday, July 21 at 10:15 AM to approve ten bills, including legislation that would make targeted reforms to the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act and one that would establish a joint employer legal standard specific to the franchise industry.  The complete list includes the following: H.R. 8781, Title IX Clarification Act of 2026; H.R. 4986, Parents Opt-in Protection Act; H.R. 8747, K-12 AI Literacy and Readiness Act of 2026; H.R. 8183, Modernizing Access to Talents, Credentials, and Hiring (MATCH) Act of 2026; H.R. 9723, Fit Future Act; H.R. 8660, Valuing Employee Stock Today (VEST) Act; H.R. 8347, Reinforcing Underserved, Rural, and Local (RURAL) Healthcare Act; H.R. 6213, Heat Workforce Standards Act of 2025; H.R. 8775, Ending Predator Access to Union Power Act; and H.R. 5267, American Franchise Act.

USCIS Issues Additional Updates to TPS-Related EAD Expirations 

On July 10, 2026, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an update regarding the expiration of Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) related to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for certain countries, where the previous expiration date was listed as July 10, 2026.  For Littler’s insight, read here. 

IRS Increases Standard Mileage Rate for Second Half of 2026 to 76 Cents per Mile 

In Announcement 2026-11, 2026-29 I.R.B. 49, the IRS amended Notice 2026-10, 2026-4 I.R.B. 378, which sets the standard mileage rates for 2026. The IRS made the change to reflect the rising cost of fuel in 2026. These are the changed rates.  For Littler’s insight, read here.