President-Elect Trump’s National and Homeland Security Teams Coming Together
President-elect Donald Trump is busy filling out his cabinet and some of the nominations are raising eyebrows in Washington, while the federal community continues to react to the election results.
The President-elect has so far said he intends to nominate:
· Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State
· Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as Attorney General
· Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense
· South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security
· Former Acting ICE Director Tom Homan as Border Czar
· John Ratcliffe as CIA Director
· Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence
· Florida Congressman Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor
· New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as U.N. Ambassador
· Mike Huckabee as U.S. Ambassador to Israel
· Former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin as Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Bloomberg notes that the president-elect appears to be prioritizing loyalty with his selections, as well as people who have been engaged in the “culture wars” and are skilled communicators with experience at being on TV.
In particular, the selection of Gaetz as Attorney General is not sitting well with some Senate Republicans who are doubtful that he will be able to win Senate confirmation.
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), one of the swing votes in the Senate, said she was “shocked” by the Gaetz selection. Gaetz has been dogged by an ethics investigation over sexual misconduct in the House, as well as prior rhetoric that the Department of Justice was politicized.
"I recognize that the president-elect has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but we in Congress have a responsibility under the Constitution and our advise and consent, which will lead to hearings, an FBI background check and an awful lot of questions being asked in this case," said Senator Collins.
Still, the President-elect believes Gaetz is the best man for the job.
"Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System," said President-elect Trump. "Matt will end Weaponized Government, protest our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans' badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department."
Meanwhile, Governor Noem was selected for DHS as she is believed to share the same views on immigration and border control as the president-elect.
Earlier this week the President-elect announced on his Truth Social platform that former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan would lead border policy across the administration. His position in the White House does not require Senate confirmation.
"Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin," Trump wrote, adding that "there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders."
Republicans retook the Senate in the 2024 elections, securing a 53-47 majority. The party has pledged to work closely with Trump to advance his agenda and nominees.
Senators voted in caucus leadership elections this week to elevate Senator John Thune (R-SD) to the position of Senate Majority leader, replacing Mitch McConnell who led the caucus for nearly two decades.
Before the leadership votes, Trump pressed Senators to allow him to make recess appointments to quickly staff his administration. Thune expressed an openness to the idea, while indicating he intended to otherwise rapidly advance nominees thru the Senate’s advice and consent confirmation process.