One of the first tasks faced by an incoming president is staffing the Cabinet, the people who collectively are a president’s top advisers and the nation’s highest officials. Most of the members of this group need to be confirmed by the Senate in order to serve in the roles chosen for them by the president.
Cabinet secretaries run the federal government’s departments, serving as their public faces while overseeing implementation of the president’s policies. In those roles, they provide counsel to the president on matters related to the departments they manage.
President-elect Donald Trump has announced who he will nominate for many of these top jobs, including secretary of state, but others who will replace President Biden’s Cabinet appear up for grabs.
Attorney general
Trump announced on Nov. 13 that he’d nominate former Rep. Matt Gaetz to be attorney general, but now he’ll have to select another candidate. Eight days later, Gaetz withdrew from consideration amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into sexual misconduct and obstruction allegations against him.
The role is currently held by Merrick Garland, a former federal judge and prosecutor. The attorney general is the nation’s top cop, overseeing the Department of Justice, a sprawling agency of 115,000 prosecutors, investigators, civil attorneys and other staff.
What does the attorney general do?
The attorney general gives legal advice and opinions to the president, as well as to the heads of other federal agencies, and represents the United States in legal matters generally. The attorney general also supervises law enforcement agencies that fall under the Justice Department’s umbrella, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, known as the ATF.
Trump criticized the FBI for years, dating back to his first run for president, when the agency investigated alleged links between his associates and Russian officials, and after he left office, the FBI searched his residence in Florida for classified records he kept after his first term.
The attorney general also has the power to appoint special counsels, lawyers who investigate — and prosecute — cases in which the Justice Department may have conflicts of interest. Trump has raged against the special counsels who investigated him during and after his first term in office.
Agriculture secretary
Trump has not yet announced who he’ll nominate for agriculture secretary. The current secretary of agriculture is Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa who held this Cabinet role twice, during Mr. Biden’s administration, as well as under former President Barack Obama.
What does the agriculture secretary do?
As the head of the Agriculture Department, the agriculture secretary oversees an agency dedicated to farming and livestock food production, agricultural trade and production, food safety and the protection of natural resources. The U.S. Forest Service is the department’s largest agency, responsible for 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands.
Commerce secretary
Trump is expected to nominate billionaire Howard Lutnick to be commerce secretary. Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, has also served as co-chair for the Trump transition and has been a major donor to his campaign. The current Secretary of Commerce is Gina Raimondo, a former governor of Rhode Island.
What does the commerce secretary do?
As the principal adviser to the president on matters relating to commerce, the secretary oversees the Commerce Department, an agency with more than 46,000 employees devoted to driving economic development, job growth and blocking trade practices by other counties deemed harmful to the U.S.
Defense secretary
Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth is Trump’s choice to be defense secretary. Hegseth is viewed as a surprise pick for the role, which typically goes to people with experience as senior military officials.
What does the defense secretary do?
If confirmed, Hegseth would lead 1.3 million active-duty service members, including soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, among a total of 3.4 million personnel worldwide. Hegseth would also be responsible for overseeing any use of the military on domestic soil. Trump said as recently as Monday that he plans to declare a national emergency and use the military to support a plan to conduct mass deportations of immigrants deemed to be in the country illegally.
The secretary of defense is second only to the president in the military’s chain of command. Hegseth would manage the Pentagon, craft national defense policy, and coordinate intelligence — via the Defense Intelligence Agency — with the National Security Council.
Secretary of education
Trump plans to nominate Linda McMahon to be education secretary. The former WWE executive served in his first administration as administrator of the Small Business Administration. Currently, Miguel Cardona is education secretary. He was formerly a teacher and commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Education.
What does the education secretary do?
The education secretary oversees the Education Department, the smallest of all Cabinet agencies. Its 4,400 employees are responsible for distribution of federal financial aid for education, collecting and disseminating data and research related to schools, and prohibiting discrimination in schools. Trump has talked about shutting down the department and leaving its responsibilities to be carried out by states.
Energy secretary
Trump selected Chris Wright, a campaign donor and fossil fuel executive, to serve as energy secretary. Wright is the CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, and an advocate of oil and gas development. The current energy secretary is Jennifer Granholm, a former governor of Michigan.
What does the energy secretary do?
The energy secretary oversees national energy production and policy, nuclear development — including the military’s nuclear weapons and reactor programs — and energy conservation programs.
Health and human services secretary
Trump says he’ll nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The lawyer and prominent vaccine skeptic will replace Xavier Becerra, a former California attorney general. Trump said during his presidential campaign that he’d let Kennedy “go wild” on issues relating to health, food and medicine.
Kennedy has spread misleading claims about vaccine safety and is a leader in the movement against vaccine mandates. He has also urged removing fluoride from drinking water.
What does the health and human services secretary do?
If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would oversee a sprawling 80,000 employee agency that includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration and the Indian Health Service. The human services portion of the HHS portfolio includes the Administration for Children and Families and its Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is charged with caring for undocumented and unaccompanied children apprehended along the border.
Kennedy would have the authority as HHS secretary to establish regulations related to food and drug safety and public health. He would be able to declare public health emergencies and would be involved in coordinating federal responses to widespread health crises, such as epidemics.
Secretary of Homeland Security
Trump announced on Tuesday that he will nominate South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be secretary of homeland security. He said in the announcement that Noem “will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border.” The Biden administration’s outgoing homeland security secretary is Alejando Mayorkas, who previously served as a deputy secretary of homeland security, and before that, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
What does the secretary of homeland security do?
This department is responsible for a broad range of domestic security concerns, with a mandate that includes anti-terrorism, border security and immigration, as well as disaster prevention and management. Trump made immigration and border issues the central focus of his campaign, and has promised to launch a mass deportation effort aimed at removing millions of people from the United States.
If confirmed, Noem would be the primary Trump Cabinet member coordinating his nationwide effort to deport millions of immigrants — an endeavor that would involve not only various DHS agencies, but also the Justice Department, state and local law enforcement and potentially the Defense Department.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Trump has not yet announced who he’ll nominate for secretary of housing and urban development. Adrianne Todman is the current acting secretary of Housing and Urban Development, a former CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, who has held the post since March.
What does the HUD secretarydo?
This secretary is responsible for overseeing the nation’s top agency in charge of administering housing law. The agency is tasked with trying to increase home ownership and access to affordable housing.
Interior secretary
Trump plans to nominate North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as secretary of the Interior. The former technology executive and venture capitalist ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination before dropping out in December. If confirmed, Burgum would replace Deb Haaland, a former member of Congress who is the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary.
What does the interior secretary do?
The Interior Department manages about 75% of all federal land — about 507 million acres — and runs programs relating to the United States’ indigenous populations.
Labor secretary
Trump has not yet announced who he will nominate for labor secretary. Julie Su, the current acting Secretary of Labor, has held the post since March 2023 and is a former California labor secretary.
What does the secretary of labor do?
The Labor Department administers thousands of federal laws and regulations related to workplace safety and conditions, wages, unemployment benefits and employment services.
Secretary of state
Trump intends to nominate Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of Sstate. Rubio has represented Florida in the Senate since 2011, and if confirmed would take over as the nation’s top diplomat. The job is currently held by Antony Blinken, a longtime foreign policy aide to Mr. Biden. Rubio is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He is a China hawk with extensive foreign policy experience.
What does the secretary of state do?
As the head of the State Department, Rubio would be Trump’s top adviser on foreign policy and international relations. Rubio would oversee a global network of embassies and consulates, and nearly 80,000 employees dedicated to the nation’s diplomacy. Rubio would take on the high-profile role of secretary of state at a time when the U.S. and its allies are navigating precarious conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, among other regions.
Transportation secretary
Trump says he’ll name former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as his nominee for transportation secretary. Duffy is a former reality TV star who is co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. He sat on the House Financial Services Committee and chaired the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019, and in his announcement, Trump noted that Duffy is married to a Fox News host, calling him “the husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on Fox News.” Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg currently has the job.
What does the secretary of transportation do?
The secretary of transportation oversees the nation’s complex federal network of highways and railroads, as well…
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