(C) Common Dreams
This story was originally published by Common Dreams and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Tracking Trump cabinet confirmations – so far [1]

[]

Date: 2025-01-27

Pam Bondi Role offered: Attorney general View image in fullscreen Pam Bondi, the first female attorney general of Florida and a lawyer for Trump during his first impeachment trial, replaced the president’s first pick, Matt Gaetz, to head the justice department. At her 15 January hearing, Bondi, 59, insisted she would ensure the justice department would remain independent. At the same time, she failed to say that Trump lost the 2020 election.

Doug Collins Role offered: Veterans affairs secretary View image in fullscreen Doug Collins, the former Georgia representative who defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, was nominated by Trump to be secretary of veterans affairs. During his 22 January hearing, Collins pledged to “take care of the veterans” should he succeed in the confirmation process.

Elise Stefanik Role offered: UN ambassador View image in fullscreen The New York representative Elise Stefanik was selected by Trump to be the ambassador to the UN. Floated as a possible Trump running mate, Stefanik is the highest-ranking woman in the Republican conference in the House of Representatives. During her confirmation hearing, Stefanik endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.

Russ Vought Role offered: Office of management and budget chief View image in fullscreen OMB chief during Trump’s first term in office, Russ Vought has been deeply involved in Project 2025. During a 15 January hearing, Vought declined to fully commit to distributing congressionally approved funds, specifically US military aid to Ukraine.

Brooke Rollins Role offered: Agriculture secretary View image in fullscreen If confirmed, Brooke Rollins would lead a 100,000-person agency that would carry out an agenda with implications for American diets and wallets, both urban and rural. Rollins was president of America First Policy Institute, a group helping lay the groundwork for Trump’s second administration.

Sean Duffy Role offered: Secretary of transportation View image in fullscreen Trump named Sean Duffy, a former Republican congressman and co-host on Fox Business, to serve as the secretary of transportation. That role oversees aviation, automotive, rail, transit and other transportation policies and a budget of about $110bn. He appeared before the Senate on 15 January.

Chris Wright Role offered: Energy secretary View image in fullscreen Trump named Chris Wright, an oil and gas industry executive with no political experience, to lead the US Department of Energy. During a 15 January confirmation hearing, Wright faced criticism for disputing the ties between climate change and more frequent or severe wildfires, and for calling wildfire concerns “hype” and dismissing their connection to climate policies.

Doug Burgum Role offered: Interior secretary View image in fullscreen Trump named Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, as his pick for secretary of the interior.

Lee Zeldin Role offered: Environmental Protection Agency administrator View image in fullscreen Trump named the former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin said he would work to “restore American energy dominance”.

Scott Turner Role offered: Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary View image in fullscreen Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term.

Scott Bessent Role offered: Treasury secretary View image in fullscreen Trump named Scott Bessent, a prominent Wall Street investor and Trump fundraiser, to be his nominee for treasury secretary. He has praised Trump for using tariffs as a negotiating tool.

Howard Lutnick Role offered: Commerce secretary View image in fullscreen Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP Trump nominated Howard Lutnick, co-chair of his transition team, to be his commerce secretary. Lutnick has uniformly praised the president-elect’s economic policies, including his use of tariffs.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer Role offered: Labor secretary View image in fullscreen Photograph: Jemal Countess/UPI/Rex/Shutterstock Trump tapped the Oregon Republican for labor secretary, a position that would oversee the department’s workforce and its budget, and would put forth priorities that affect workers’ wages, health and safety, the ability to unionize and employers’ rights to fire workers, among other responsibilities.

Robert F Kennedy Jr Role offered: Secretary of health and human services View image in fullscreen Trump has named Robert F Kennedy Jr his secretary of health and human services. In a statement, Trump said Kennedy would protect Americans from “harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives” that have caused a health crisis.

Linda McMahon Role offered: Education secretary View image in fullscreen Trump named Linda McMahon, co-chair of his transition team, his pick for education secretary. Trump, who previously promised to dismantle the Department of Education, said McMahon would work to “expand ‘choice’” across the US and send education “back to the states”.

Tulsi Gabbard Role offered: National intelligence director View image in fullscreen Trump announced Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat, as his nominee for director of national intelligence.

Jamieson Greer Role offered: US trade representative View image in fullscreen Trump lauded Jamieson Greer for his role enacting the USMCA, a revamped trade pact between the US, Mexico and Canada, and imposing tariffs on China. If confirmed, Greer will be tasked with reining in the trade deficit and opening up “export markets everywhere”.

Kelly Loeffler Role offered: administrator of the Small Business Administration View image in fullscreen Trump named former senator Kelly Loeffler to head the Small Business Administration. He said she will use her business experience to “reduce red tape” and “unleash opportunity” for small businesses.

Mehmet Oz Role offered: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator View image in fullscreen Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters Trump tapped Dr Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, adding that he would work closely with Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Brendan Carr Role offered: Chair of the Federal Communications Commission View image in fullscreen Trump tapped Brendan Carr to be the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, the independent agency that regulates telecommunications. In a statement, Trump said Carr “is a warrior for Free Speech, and has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms, and held back our Economy”.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/27/trump-cabinet-confirmations

Published and (C) by Common Dreams
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0..

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/commondreams/