President Donald J. Trump has named a number of acting secretaries to oversee federal departments as he moves to swiftly enact the initial stages of his America First agenda. The acting officials are tasked with executing several hundred executive orders addressing national security, energy, and immigration issues—rolling back former President Joe Biden’s radical progressive agenda.
Already, the Trump White House has moved to shutter the controversial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) CBP One app, which the Biden government used to parole hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into the United States. Additionally, President Trump appears to have directed border agents to close several ports of entry along the southern border with Mexico, including the infamous El Paso checkpoint—a hot spot for so-called asylum seekers.
The acting officials named by President Trump include Gary Washington as Secretary of Agriculture, Jeremy Pelter as Secretary of Commerce, Robert Salesses as Secretary of Defense, Denise Carter as Secretary of Education, Ingrid Kolb as Secretary of Energy, Dorothy Fink as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Benjamine Huffman as Secretary of Homeland Security. Additionally, acting officials named by the President are Matthew Ammon as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Walter Cruickshank as Secretary of the Interior, Vincent Micone as Secretary of Labor, Lisa Kenna as Secretary of State, David Lebryk as Secretary of the Treasury, Judith Kaleta as Secretary of Transportation, and Todd Hunter as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Additionally, federal immigration enforcement attorney James McHenry has been tapped as the acting Attorney General, and Emil Bove—one of President Trump’s criminal defense attorneys—has been named as acting Deputy Attorney General. McHenry and Bove will oversee a large number of pardons and commutations for the January 6 Capitol riot defendants, which are expected to be signed by Trump later today.