The Choice: The Next Five Cabinet Positions
It is very important to be knowledgeable about who Trump wants to run the federal government.
Issue #776 The Choice, Tuesday, December 10, 2024
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Since Donald Trump barely won the last presidential election, he has started to name his Cabinet choices.
We must remember that:
He did not win a mandate. He received less than 50% of the popular vote and beat Vice President Kamala Harris by just over 1%.
At this time, his picks are just his choices. He cannot formally nominate anyone until after he is inaugurated. Then each nominee must have a Senate hearing and a positive vote by the Senate to start in the position.
Even though Trump is trying to pass his choices without Senate hearings or official votes with “recess appointments,” it is still unlikely that he will be able to do so.
The Senate currently has a 53-47 seat majority, and it takes 51 votes to approve a nominee. If just one Republican senator casts a “no” vote, the nominee will not be approved.
In the United States, the President's Cabinet consists of the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments. The president appoints these heads, who must be confirmed by the Senate.
Here are another 5 Cabinet positions, along with a brief description of their duties:
Secretary of the Interior: Manages national parks and federal lands, oversees natural resource conservation, and handles relations with Indigenous tribes. Trump has chosen North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a billionaire who signed several anti-trans bills. Trump has mandated that Burgum “drill, baby, drill” and lead the newly created National Energy Council. He will probably help Trump roll back Biden’s climate-change initiatives.
Secretary of Agriculture: Oversees policies related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food safety. Trump has chosen Brooke Rollins, an attorney in charge of the right-wing think tank America First Policy Initiative, intended to promote Trump’s economic policies. She would oversee and influence almost every part of the food and agriculture industry and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the most extensive anti-hunger program, despite her lack of actual agricultural policy experience.
Secretary of Commerce: Promotes economic growth, trade, and technological advancement and gathers economic data. Trump has chosen Howard Lutnick, the head of Cantor Fitzgerald and the BGC Group, who was also a significant contributor to Trump's 202 and 2024 campaigns. His company lost 658 employees, including his brother, in the 9/11 attacks. He is a proponent of tariffs and cryptocurrencies. Both Trump and Lutnck have business interests in cryptocurrencies. Trump also wants Lutnick to be directly responsible for the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Lutnick also favors cutting at least $2 trillion in federal agencies, stacking the Trump Administration with loyalists, and rolling back the income tax and business regulations.
Secretary of Labor: Enforces labor laws, oversees workplace safety, and manages employment and training programs. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s choice for Labor Secretary, is currently a Congresswoman from Oregon. She was a co-sponsor of the Democratic Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act (and one of three Republicans to vote for it), which is strongly opposed by business groups. The PRO Act would give workers additional advantages and weaken state right-to-work. The Act has little chance of a favorable vote in the Senate.
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Oversees public health, welfare, and health-related research. One of Trump's most controversial choices is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Health Secretary. Kennedy is anti-vaccines and was responsible in 2019 for convincing Samoa to stop vaccinating for measles, and within three months, 83 people died, including 38 children. Kennedy would oversee the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid. Kennedy has admitted to having a worm in his brain, eating a bear in Central Park, and using heroin to get better grades. Kennedy has no experience in Health Care and has advocated getting rid of the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Kennedy has stated that people should not listen to scientists and medical professionals.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Addresses national housing needs, enforces fair housing laws, and manages urban development programs. Trump has chosen Scott Turner as the first Black person potentially in his Cabinet. Turner is a former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump's first term. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in California's 50th District and later joined the Texas House for two terms. He refused to run for a third term after he failed in his bid to become speaker of the Texas House. Trump has focused on the prices of private housing, not public housing. Turner wants to reduce regulations on home construction, but at the same time, Trump wants to deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who work in construction.
Trump has finally approved the FBI vetting of his choices, and his idea that the Senate should ignore its constitutional “advise and consent” responsibilities and just appoint his choices is losing steam with Senate Republicans.
Almost none of Trump’s choices (they are not “nominees” until he is officially president) are even remotely qualified for the jobs they may hold if confirmed.
