President-elect Trump has now announced 15 out of 24 cabinet positions for his incoming administration. Trump has continued to pick controversial nominees for his cabinet, some of whom have notably limited experience in the policy areas they’d be tasked with overseeing. Read more about some of the more recent picks below:
Attorney General – Matt Gaetz: One of the most controversial picks so far, Gaetz resigned from his House seat almost immediately after the announcement was made, just days before a vote on whether the House Ethics Committee would make public the findings of an investigation into Gaetz was set to take place. As AG, Gaetz would be tasked with implementing Trump’s most radical policy agendas and defending them in court. Gaetz is likely the main pick that Trump would prefer to push through a recess appointment, as its unlikely he would survive Senate confirmation.
Secretary of Interior – Doug Burgum: The incoming Interior secretary will be responsible for carrying out Trump’s campaign promise to increase domestic oil production and Burgum governs the third-largest oil-producing state in the country: North Dakota. As Governor, Burgum has promoted carbon capture technologies to bring down greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s unclear whether he’ll have the latitude to carry out similar activities with Trump’s laser focus on boosting fossil fuels.
Secretary of Commerce – Howard Lutnik: Lutnik is a well-known figure on Wall Street who has been co-leading Trump’s transition team over the last few months. Controversy as to the extent of Elon Musk’s influence in the new administration emerged after he endorsed Lutnik ahead of Trump’s announcement. Lutnik would be tasked with overseeing the Commerce Department’s broad jurisdiction, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Census Bureau, and implementing Trump’s proposed tariffs on foreign goods.
Secretary of Health and Human Services – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: Another appointee who could face an intense Senate confirmation, Kennedy would lead country’s main health regulator as a vocal critic of vaccines. Despite concerns about Kennedy’s fitness to lead HHS, Trump will likely press on in response to populist calls for Kennedy to “make America healthy again” by taking on big pharma.
Secretary of Transportation – Sean Duffy: Duffy, a Fox News contributor who represented Wisconsin’s 7th district for almost a decade, never served on the House Transportation Committee. The Transportation Secretary will be expected to cut spending and claw back some of the funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (aka the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), especially for climate-focused programs like EV charging and equity initiatives.
Secretary of Energy – Chris Wright: Wright is the CEO of Colorado-based fracking company Liberty Energy. Like Sean Duffy, Wright would be tasked with clawing back billions of dollars in funding supporting the Biden administration’s climate and energy agenda, as well as restarting the Department of Energy’s issuance of natural gas export permits, which were paused by the Biden Administration earlier this year.
While presidents-elect generally have strong deference with their cabinet picks (only one has been outright rejected by the Senate in the last three decades), the controversial nature of some of the picks described above is a test case for Trump’s authority in his second administration. On paper, Senate Republicans have the votes to confirm any nominee Trump puts forth. But controversial nominees like Gaetz face an uphill battle in the Senate, particularly with more moderate Senators like Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Also, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will be hesitant to cede the Senate’s through recess appointments, which would only last through the end of the Senate’s session (roughly a year). While Trump is unlikely to reconsider his stated cabinet picks, he runs the risk of several being publicly rejected by Senate Republicans who are uncomfortable with firebrands like Gaetz.
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