President-elect Trump has now announced 20 out of 24 cabinet positions for his incoming administration, with only the U.S. Trade Representative, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy remaining. Despite one withdrawal and barring any additional setbacks, it appears that most of Trump’s picks will cruise through Senate confirmation. Read more on the most recent picks below:
Attorney General – Pam Bondi: After former Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination for Attorney General after multiple Republican Senators made it clear that his path to confirmation would be extremely difficult, Trump quickly tapped Bondi, who defended Trump during his first impeachment in 2019. With Trump’s ambitious agenda on immigration and shrinking the federal government, Bondi may prove to be one of Trump’s most consequential picks.
Secretary of Agriculture – Brooke Rollins: Rollins, who currently heads the America First Policy Institute, served as director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council during the first Trump administration. Rural communities played a significant role in Trump’s re-election and addressing their concerns will be a high priority for this administration – a tall order when paired with aggressive attempts to roll back climate-smart Ag programs and a Farm Bill reauthorization looming in Congress next year.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development – Scott Turner: Turner likely has the most diverse professional background of all of Trump’s picks; a former NFL player, motivational speaker, Texas House of Representatives member, and most recently chair of the Center for Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute. At a time when affordable housing remains a major issue for many Americans. Trump’s plans to alleviate these burdens remain vague and mostly outside of HUD’s jurisdiction. Turner’s primary focus at HUD will likely be identifying opportunities to cut funding.
Secretary of Labor – Lori Chavez-DeRemer: Trump’s selection of Chavez-DeRemer, who cosponsored pro-union legislation and has the endorsement of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, to lead the Department of Labor has generated concern among conservatives. Before losing her re-election bid to represent Oregon’s 5th district, Chavez-DeRemer introduced just one bill during her term – the Jobs in the Woods Act – which would provide funding for workforce training in the timber industry.
Secretary of the Treasury – Scott Bessent: Bessent, the CEO of the Key Square Group and one of Trump’s biggest supporters on Wall Street, stands to play a larger-than-expected role in the second Trump administration. The centerpiece of his economic agenda is what he calls a "3/3/3" approach: cut the budget deficit to 3% of GDP, achieve 3% annual growth, and increase domestic oil production by 3 million barrels per day. But Trump’s campaign promises on immigration and tariffs create potential headaches for Bessent given their implications for the U.S. economy if carried out.
With the bulk of Trump’s proposed cabinet announced, the appointments are largely theirs to lose with Republicans poised to control the Senate next year. At the same time, moderates like Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will hold more power than ever as the deciding vote on confirmations and legislation (think Joe Manchin in recent years). Gaetz's withdrawal represents a rare signal to Trump from (at least some) congressional Republicans that his mandate does have some limitations.
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