Published on March 11, 2025
This presidential action consists of numerous high-level nominations to critical positions across multiple federal agencies, including ambassadorships, department leadership roles, and key administrative positions. The nominations span crucial areas such as defense, intelligence, justice, commerce, and diplomacy, with a notable concentration of nominees from Virginia, Florida, and other eastern states.
The pattern of nominations suggests a potential consolidation of power through strategic placement of officials, particularly in security and intelligence roles, with multiple nominees from Virginia potentially indicating a tight-knit network of influences centered around the DC metro area. The appointments to key positions in intelligence, homeland security, and justice departments, combined with ambassadorial nominations to strategically important nations like Turkey and the European Union, could indicate an attempt to establish a coordinated influence network across both domestic and international spheres of power.
While these nominations appear to be routine staffing of important government positions, the geographic concentration of nominees and the strategic nature of the positions they would fill suggests a calculated effort to establish a specific power structure within the federal government. The public should pay particular attention to how these appointments, if confirmed, might influence policy coordination across agencies and international relations.
NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE: Richard Anderson, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. John Arrigo, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Portuguese Republic. Thomas Barrack, of Colorado, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Turkey. John Bartrum, of Indiana, to be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Enterprise Integration). Brian Burch, of Illinois, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Holy See. Leo Brent Bozell III, of Virginia, to be Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media. Jonathan Brightbill, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of Energy. Michael Cadenazzi, of Rhode Island, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Leah Campos, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Dominican Republic. Hung Cao, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of the Navy. Terrance Cole, of Virginia, to be Administrator of Drug Enforcement. Paul Dabbar, of New York, to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce. Patrick David Davis, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General. Janet Dhillon, of Virginia, to be Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for a term of five years. Joseph Edlow, of Maryland, to be Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security. John Andrew Eisenberg, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Attorney General. Somers Farkas, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Malta. Tilman Fertitta, of Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Italian Republic, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of San Marino. Robert Gleason, of Pennsylvania, to be a Director of the Amtrak Board of Directors for a term of five years. Andrew Hughes, of Texas, to be Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Catherine Jereza, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Electricity). Jovan Jovanovic, of Pennsylvania, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States for a term expiring January 20, 2029. Brandon Judd, of Idaho, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Chile. Ethan Klein, of New Jersey, to be an Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Matthew Kozma, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security. Harry Kumar, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce. Aaron Lukas, of Arkansas, to be Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. Edward Martin, of the District of Columbia, to be United States Attorney for the District of Columbia for the term of four years. Cheryl Mason, of North Carolina, to be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection). Nicole McGraw, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the united States of America to the Republic of Croatia. Sean McMaster, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. David Metcalf, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for the term of four years. Joseph Nocella, of New York, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York for the term of four years. Sean O’Keefe, of Virginia, to be a Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. Michael Obadal, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of the Army. Seval Oz, of California, to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation. James Percival, of Florida, to be General Counsel, Department of Homeland Security. Sean Plankey, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security. Andrew Puzder, of Tennessee, to be Representative of the United States of America to the European Union, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Jason Reding Quinones, of Florida, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for the term of four years. Leandro Rizzuto, of Florida, to be Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the Organization of American States, with the rank of Ambassador. Gadyaces Serralta, of Florida, to be Director of the United States Marshals Service. Brett Shumate, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Attorney General. John Squires, of Florida, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. George Wesley Street, of Virginia, to be Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. Eric Matthew Ueland, of Virginia, to be Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget. Andrew Veprek, of Louisiana, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Population, Refugees, and Migration). Timothy John Walsh, of Colorado, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Environmental Management). David Woll, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Daniel Zimmerman, of North Carolina, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense.