On November 23 local time, U.S. President-elect Trump announced the nomination of Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture. With this, all cabinet minister candidates for Trump's new administration have been determined. In addition to the 15 cabinet ministers, Trump has also nominated several high-level officials in the past nearly three weeks.
· Who are the members of the U.S. government cabinet?
The U.S. government cabinet consists of the President, Vice President, department heads,
and other members designated by the President.
Taking the Biden administration as an example, the cabinet has a total of 26 positions, which include the Vice President and 15 cabinet ministers, as well as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of National Intelligence, the Trade Representative, the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the President's Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Chief of Staff to the President. It is currently unclear how many positions the new Trump administration's cabinet will establish.
· Has Trump nominated all key positions?
Among the multiple key positions in the U.S. government, there are currently only 4 that have yet to be confirmed: the U.S. Trade Representative, the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and the President's Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Notably, the position of U.S. Trade Representative is of particular interest. When Trump nominated Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce, he announced that this person would directly oversee the work of the U.S. Trade Representative's Office, but it is currently unclear whether Lutnick will also serve as the U.S. Trade Representative.
Do the nominees put forth by Trump automatically take office?
The U.S. Constitution stipulates that the President's appointments of major officials, ambassadors, and other high-ranking officials require Senate approval to be completed. The cabinet ministers and cabinet-level officials nominated by Trump need to obtain Senate approval. However, there are exceptions to this provision of the Constitution; if a vacancy occurs during the Senate recess, the President can unilaterally appoint someone without waiting for the Senate's opinion and consent.
Some key positions in Trump's administration also do not require Senate approval, such as Elon Musk leading the "Department of Government Efficiency" and Vivek Ramaswamy.