The transfer of power from one president to the next also means the changing of the President’s cabinet members, who are essentially the President’s inner circle. They advise the President on matters pertaining to each member’s department. The President’s cabinet consists of fifteen members including the Vice President. These members are the heads of the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and Justice.
In order to be a confirmed cabinet member, the Senate must approve the President’s nominations with a simple majority vote. At this time, Trump has nominated individuals for all positions and the Senate has officially confirmed four. The rest will be voted on in the Senate throughout the next month. Here’s what you need to know about those four confirmed individuals.
James Mattis for Defense
Mattis is a retired general who served forty-four years in the military, however he has never had a civilian position, which means he has never had a nonmilitary job in the government. While he and Trump disagree on whether or not torture is effective (Mattis believes that it does not work), Trump seems to trust Mattis and his straightforward and blunt demeanor.
John Kelly for Homeland Security
John Kelly is also a veteran and has served in the Marine Corps for over forty years in South and Central America, as well as in Guantanamo Bay. Other than serving in the military, Kelly has the government experience as a liaison to Congress. Kelly is well informed on the issue of border security and illegal immigration, both of which are main points of Trump’s platform.
Mike Pompeo for CIA
After serving in the Army from 1986 to 1991, Mike Pompeo founded and became the CEO of Thayer Aerospace, which he sold more than a decade later. Mike Pompeo started his fourth term in the House of Representatives this past November and aggressively questioned Hillary Clinton as a member of the Benghazi Committee in 2015.
Nikki Haley for U.N. Ambassador
Nikki Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants. In 2010, Haley was elected the governor of South Carolina after serving as a state legislator for six years. She is well liked among democrats and republicans although she has no experience in foreign policy. During last year’s GOP presidential primaries, she endorsed Marco Rubio and would have likely been his vice president pick if he had won the nomination.
Although not all positions have been confirmed, Trump’s cabinet will likely be the least diverse cabinet since Reagan’s, and is probably the least experienced group when it comes to the federal government as a whole. Let’s just hope they give some pretty good advice to the President.