Published on January 20, 2025
This presidential action consists of cabinet-level and senior administrative nominations, representing a comprehensive reshaping of the executive branch leadership. The nominations include several former politicians, business leaders, and public figures for key positions such as Secretary of State (Marco Rubio), Secretary of Defense (Peter Hegseth), and notable appointments like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services and Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence.
The nominations suggest a strategic consolidation of power by appointing individuals who have demonstrated strong political loyalty or have previous connections to specific ideological movements, rather than primarily technical expertise in their assigned domains. The selection of controversial figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS and former political competitors like Marco Rubio and Tulsi Gabbard may indicate an attempt to neutralize potential opposition while creating an appearance of bipartisanship, despite potentially compromising department effectiveness.
While presented as a standard cabinet formation, these nominations appear designed to create a leadership structure that prioritizes political allegiance over technical expertise. The appointments could significantly impact federal agency operations and policy implementation, potentially weakening traditional institutional independence while strengthening centralized executive control through a network of politically aligned department heads.
To the Senate of the United States, I nominate Scott Bessent, of South Carolina, to be Secretary of the Treasury. Pamela Bondi, of Florida, to be Attorney General. Douglas Burgum, of North Dakota, to be Secretary of the Interior. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, of Oregon, to be Secretary of Labor. Douglas Collins, of Georgia, to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Sean Duffy, of Wisconsin, to be Secretary of Transportation. Peter Hegseth, of Tennessee, to be Secretary of Defense. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., of California, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Howard Lutnick, of New York, to be Secretary of Commerce. Linda McMahon, of Connecticut, to be Secretary of Education. Kristi Noem, of South Dakota, to be Secretary of Homeland Security. Brooke Rollins, of Texas, to be Secretary of Agriculture. Marco Rubio, of Florida, to be Secretary of State. Eric Turner, of Texas, to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Christopher Wright, of Colorado, to be Secretary of Energy. Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaii, to be Director of National Intelligence. Jamieson Greer, of Maryland, to be United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Kelly Loeffler, of Georgia, to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration. John Ratcliffe, of Texas, to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Elise Stefanik, of New York, to be the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and the Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations. Elise Stefanik, of New York, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during her tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations. Russell Vought, of Virginia, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Lee Zeldin, of New York, to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.