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RFK Jr. who is it? Who is Matt Gaetz? What is HHS? Trump’s Cabinet picks
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RFK Jr. who is it? Who is Matt Gaetz? What is HHS? Trump’s Cabinet picks

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President-elect Donald Trump Quickly forms cabinet ahead of inauguration in 2025.

Trump has endorsed some prominent figures from conservative circles to help him lead the United States in the White House for the next four years; Not all of them are politicians.

Next week, the Republican president added Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Matt Gaetz, Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth to the list of names he wants to lead departments during his administration.

More names are sure to come as 2024 ends and Trump’s second and final term begins. Here’s a look at who’s been named and which seats need to be filled.

Who else did Trump nominate to head government agencies?

In total, Trump nominated eight people for the highest-level roles overseeing multiple agencies in the U.S. government.

Here are the latest positions announced by Trump as of Thursday:

Who is Matt Gaetz? What does the attorney general do?

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.He was nominated by Trump for the role of U.S. Attorney General. Gaetz, a staunch supporter of MAGA, resigned his seat in the House of Representatives “effective immediately” on Wednesday after receiving Trump’s endorsement.

The Florida attorney has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017 and was re-elected for his seat, but the seat now must be refilled.

The resignation also ended The House Ethics Committee’s investigation into Gaetz.

The Ethics Committee spent three years examining various allegations that Gaetz was involved in sexual abuse and illegal drug use, accepted “improper gifts” and granted special privileges. Gaetz denied the allegations. The panel was to decide whether to make its report on the matter public on Friday, but The investigation ended with Gaetz’s resignation.

Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., a member of the House Judiciary Committee, demanded Thursday that the Ethics Committee “come forward and transparently show us what they found, and then let the chips fall where they may.”

Other lawmakers have also been vocal about the information being released, especially considering that Gaetz was chosen for this high position and could make a difference during his Senate confirmation hearings.

If confirmed by the Senate as U.S. Attorney General, Gaetz will head the Justice Department, which he has criticized in the past. He would also represent the United States in legal matters and provide advice and opinions to the president and the heads of the executive branches of government when needed.

“I don’t think there is a serious candidacy for attorney general,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. USA TODAY. “We need a serious attorney general, and I look forward to the opportunity to consider a serious one.”

Who is Tulsi Gabbard? What is DNI?

Former Hawaii GOP Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat and Trump supporter who ran for the presidential nomination in 2020, has been named as Trump’s choice for the Department of National Intelligence.

“I know Tulsi will bring to our intelligence community the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career, defend our constitutional rights, and secure peace through force,” Trump said in a statement. he said.

Gabbard, 43, is a native of American Samoa who was a rising star in the Democratic Party before leaving in 2022. He was an Army officer who served in the Middle East and later became a critic of the Iraq War, which helped him gain credibility. with progressives, USA TODAY reports.

Gabbard’s intelligence experience pales in comparison to current director Avril Haines, who was deputy CIA director and deputy national security adviser before taking office. Along with her time in politics, Gabbard served in the National Guard and was assigned to a field medical unit during the Iraq War, and later returned to the Middle East as an officer to lead a military police detachment and as an instructor with the Kuwaiti National Guard’s counterterrorism unit. .

If confirmed by the Senate, Gabbard would be in charge of 18 agencies, including the National Security Agency, FBI and CIA.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who is it? What is HHS?

On Thursday, Trump announced his nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS); The department oversees the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others. .

“The safety and health of all Americans is the most important role of any administration, and HHS will play a major role in ensuring everyone is protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that contribute to climate change.” “There is a major health crisis in this country,” Trump said. Description of X.

Kennedy, 70, is the brother of President John F. Kennedy and the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and his presidential run was cut short when he was assassinated in Los Angeles, California, in 1968.

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, also ran for president this year as a third-party candidate before withdrawing and throwing his support behind Trump. He rose to national prominence in part because of his opposition to vaccines (including childhood measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines) and debunked claims that they were linked to autism. USA TODAY reported. He also opposed Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic.

Kennedy also opposed the Food and Drug Administration. warning about X last month The organization’s “war on public health is nearing its end.” He called the FDA’s decisions on psychedelics, raw milk, hydroxychloroquine, stem cells and ivermectin, among others, “aggressive suppression.”

How many cabinet positions does Trump still need to fill?

There are currently 16 positions for which Trump has not announced his candidacy. Here’s what still needs to be filled out:

  • Undersecretariat of Treasury Department
  • Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
  • Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture
  • Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce
  • Secretary of the Ministry of Labor
  • Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
  • Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • Secretary of the Ministry of Transport
  • Secretary of the Department of Energy
  • Secretary of the Ministry of Education
  • Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
  • United States Trade Representative
  • Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers
  • Small Business Affairs Manager
  • Director of the Office of Management and Budget
  • Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy

USA TODAY contributed to this report