President-elect Trump has moved quickly to build his second-term cabinet. He has filled more than half
of his fifteen (15) cabinet-level positions. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, Fox News host and military vet Pette Hegseth for Defense Secretary, and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz for Attorney General are his picks for the major cabinet positions.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is his choice to be Secretary of the Interior. Robert F Kennedy, an
environmental lawyer, is his pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Former Georgia congressman
Doug Collins has been chosen to lead the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. South Dakota Gov. Kristi
Noem has been nominated for Secretary of Homeland Security. Former Democrat Congresswoman Tulsi
Gabbard has been nominated to lead the CIA. President-elect Donald Trump has selected former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Liberty Energy CEO Christ Wright has been tapped to lead the Energy Department.
The only positions left unfilled are: Treasury, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, HHS, Transportation, and
Education. Three observations on Trump’s picks:
First, Trump values loyalty. All his cabinet level appointments are vocal supporters of Donald Trump.
Unlike in his first term, where he appointed experienced politicos, Trump seems to be choosing personal
friends. These picks would likely execute his decisions without pushback. President Trump has long said he made a mistake in his first term in choosing the wrong people to help him execute his plans.
Second, placing loyalty above competence is dangerous. Several of Trump’s appointees don’t appear to
be qualified. For example, Lee Zeldin is nominated as the administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), but has little history with climate or regulatory issues. Pete Hegseth, a Fox News weekend
co-host tapped to serve as secretary of defense, but has no Pentagon experience. Clearly both agencies need reform, but putting someone in charge who has little experience is risky. Placing loyalty above competence could result in failing to accomplish what Trump ultimately wants to attain. Hopefully, Trump will have these advisors on a short leash.
Third, change is coming. Based on Trump’s picks for the cabinet, it will not be business as usual in Washington. Trump’s picks are unconventional and unorthodox. They will ‘shake things up.’ Government is past due for reorganization, restructure, reform, and transformation. Change happens in the private sector on a regular basis, but change in government is scarcer than a hen’s teeth. The problem with change without a clear purpose is it often leads to confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization, making things worse, not better.
A potential game change is Trump’s appointment of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as heads of a new
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Their stated marching orders are to (1) dismantle government bureaucracy, (2) slash excess regulations, (3) cut wasteful expenditures and (4) restructure federal agencies. Just the stated goals of DOGE should strike fear in the hearts of government bureaucrats.
America’s major challenge is fiscal! Government spends more than they take in and waste is rampant.
Both political Parties have shown no resolve to address out of control spending. Trump promised he would balance the federal budget in his first term, but didn’t even come close. If Musk and Ramaswamy are effective and reduce government’s footprint, Trump’s real legacy would be that he saved America from bankruptcy.
