President Trump Announces Acting Cabinet and Cabinet-Level Positions

On January 20, 2025, executive order was issued designating individuals to serve as acting heads of various federal departments and agencies, in accordance with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 (5 U.S.C. 3345 et seq.). This act permits the president to temporarily fill vacant executive agency positions that require presidential appointment with Senate confirmation. The appointed individuals will serve in these acting capacities until permanent appointments are made and confirmed.

Below is a list of the appointed acting officials, their previous positions, and an analysis of their qualifications for their designated roles:

1. Gary Washington: Acting Secretary of Agriculture
   • Previous Position: Chief Information Officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
   • Analysis: As Chief Information Officer, Washington’s expertise is primarily in information technology rather than agricultural policy or management. This may limit his effectiveness in leading the department responsible for national agricultural policies.
2. Jeremy Pelter: Acting Secretary of Commerce
   • Previous Position: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration at the Department of Commerce.
   • Analysis: Pelter’s role focused on administrative functions within the department. He may lack experience in broader economic policy and international trade issues central to the Commerce Department’s mission.
3. Robert Salesses: Acting Secretary of Defense
   • Previous Position: Deputy Director for Washington Headquarters Services.
   • Analysis: Salesses’ background in administrative services may not provide the strategic military experience typically expected of a Defense Secretary.
4. Mark Averill: Acting Secretary of the Army
   • Previous Position: Member of the Senior Executive Service.
   • Analysis: His previous roles have been focused on narrow operational areas rather than the comprehensive oversight needed for leading the entire Army organization. The position requires someone who has managed organizations of similar scale and complexity to the U.S. Army as a whole.
5. Terence Emmert: Acting Secretary of the Navy
   • Previous Position: Deputy Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency.
   • Analysis: Emmert’s experience in contract management may not encompass the operational leadership required for the Navy.
6. Gary Ashworth: Acting Secretary of the Air Force
   • Previous Position: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget at the Air Force.
   • Analysis: While knowledgeable in financial matters, Ashworth may lack experience in broader Air Force operations and strategy.
7. [Denise Carter]9https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_L._Carter): Acting Secretary of Education
   • Previous Position: Principal Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Federal Student Aid.
   • Analysis: Carter’s focus has been on student aid administration, which may not provide comprehensive experience in educational policy development.
8. Ingrid Kolb: Acting Secretary of Energy
   • Previous Position: Director of the Office of Management at the Department of Energy.
   • Analysis: Kolb’s role was primarily administrative, potentially limiting her experience in energy policy and research initiatives.
9. Dorothy Fink: Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services
   • Previous Position: Director of the Office on Women’s Health.
   • Analysis: Fink’s specialization in women’s health may not encompass the broad scope of public health and human services managed by the department.
10. Benjamine Huffman: Acting Secretary of Homeland Security
    • Previous Position: Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers.
    • Analysis: Huffman’s experience in training law enforcement personnel may not fully prepare him for overseeing the wide-ranging responsibilities of Homeland Security.
11. Matthew Ammon: Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
    • Previous Position: Director of the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes.
    • Analysis: Ammon’s focus on lead hazard control is a narrow aspect of housing policy, which may limit his effectiveness in addressing broader housing and urban development issues.
12. Walter Cruickshank: Acting Secretary of the Interior
    • Previous Position: Deputy Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
    • Analysis: Cruickshank’s expertise in ocean energy may not cover the full range of natural resource management and conservation efforts overseen by the Interior Department.
13. James McHenry: Acting Attorney General
    • Previous Position: Chief Administrative Hearing Officer.
    • Analysis: McHenry’s role focused on administrative hearings, which may not provide the breadth of experience necessary for leading the Department of Justice.
14. Vincent Micone: Acting Secretary of Labor
    • Previous Position: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations.
    • Analysis: Micone’s operational role may not encompass the policy expertise needed to address complex labor issues.
15. Lisa Kenna: Acting Secretary of State
    • Previous Position: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
    • Analysis: Kenna’s background in intelligence may not provide the diplomatic experience typically expected of a Secretary of State.
16. David Lebryk: Acting Secretary of the Treasury
    • Previous Position: Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.
    • Analysis: Lebryk’s focus on fiscal operations may not encompass the broader economic policy experience required for the Treasury Secretary role.
17. Judith Kaleta: Acting Secretary of Transportation
    • Previous Position: Deputy General Counsel at the Department of Transportation.
    • Analysis: While Kaleta has extensive legal experience, her primary role has been as Deputy General Counsel, focusing on legal matters rather than executive leadership of a major federal department. Her career has been primarily confined to legal advisory roles within DOT, lacking the diverse management experience typically expected for a Cabinet position. Unlike previous Transportation Secretaries, Kaleta has no experience in elected office or high-level political appointments. Her background shows a strong emphasis on regulatory compliance and ethics oversight. Kaleta’s overall approach has been primarily reactive rather than proactive. She appears to have a cautious, process-oriented style that may not align with the dynamic leadership needed for major infrastructure initiatives and transportation policy reforms.
18. Todd Hunter: Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs
    • Previous Position: Career EPA attorney since 2016; served as Deputy General Counsel for environmental media and regional law office; experience as Regional Counsel in Region 6 and Acting Deputy Regional Administrator in Region 5.
    • Analysis:
19. James Payne: Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
    • Previous Position: EPA’s deputy general counsel for environmental media and regional law offices, and has been with the agency since 2016.
    • Analysis: Payne has substantial relevant experience in environmental law and agency operations which may make him a qualified candidate for this position.
20. Everett Woodel: Acting Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA)
    • Previous Position: District Director for the SBA’s Central and Southern Ohio District Office.
    • Analysis: While Woodel has experience within the SBA at a regional level, he may lack exposure to the broader national and international economic issues pertinent to leading the agency at the federal level.
21. Matthew Vaeth: Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
    • Previous Position: Chief of the Budget Review Branch at OMB
    • Analysis: Vaeth has significant experience in federal budgeting, management, and policy implementation through various roles at OMB, supported by relevant education and training, which may make him a qualified candidate for this position.
22. Stacey Dixon: Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI)
    • Previous Position: Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.
    • Analysis: Dixon’s role as Principal Deputy Director suggests significant experience in intelligence operations, which may make her a qualified candidate for the DNI position.
23. Juan Millan: Acting United States Trade Representative
    • Previous Position: acting General Counsel for the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
    • Analysis: Juan A. Millán’s appointment as acting USTR appears to violate legal requirements in several ways. The law explicitly states that “a person who has directly represented, aided, or advised a foreign entity in any trade negotiation, or trade dispute, with the United States may not be appointed as United States Trade Representative or as a Deputy United States Trade Representative”. Millán’s work at the WTO in Geneva from 2005-2012 may constitute such representation. His background is primarily in legal counsel and enforcement rather than policy development or high-level negotiations.
24. Thomas Sylvester, Jr.: Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
    • Previous Position: CIA’s deputy director for operations.
    • Analysis: There is little public information to review to make an assessment at this time.
25. Charles Ezell: Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
    • Previous Position: Ezell previously served as OPM’s branch chief for data and analytics
    • Analysis: Charles Ezell appears to be significantly underqualified for the OPM Director position. His only notable previous role was as OPM’s branch chief for data and analytics which is a relatively junior position. His previous role as a branch chief would not have provided the broad policy and management experience needed to fulfill many critical responsibilities. Ezell’s limited experience as a branch chief represents a significant departure from this traditional background of previous OPM Directors.
26. Stephen Ehikian: Acting Administrator of o
    • Previous Position: Former Salesforce vice president of AI products; now oversees a nationwide real estate portfolio of over 360 million rentable square feet. The GSA manages billions in federal contracts and procurement, yet Ehikian lacks significant procurement or contract management experience. His private sector background provides little exposure to critical federal regulations and policies that govern GSA’s operations.
    • Analysis: Ehikian has no prior government service or public sector management experience.
27. Michelle King: Acting Commissioner of Social Security
    • Previous Position: Started at SSA in 1994 as a bilingual Claims Representative; advanced through multiple senior executive positions
    • Analysis: King was already in the official order of succession, so this appointment makes unusual sense.
28. Brian Driscoll: Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
    • Previous Position: He has served as an FBI agent since 2007; served as the Tactical Section chief of the Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG); previously worked as a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; most recently served as special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark field office.
    • Analysis: Driscoll has never managed an office of this size, which may make the initial transition take longer.
29. Jason Gray: Acting Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
    • Previous Position: Chief Information Officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
    • Analysis: Gray’s experience in information technology within the USDA may not provide the necessary background in international development and humanitarian assistance required for leading USAID.
30. Janet Petro: Acting Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
    • Previous Position: Director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
    • Analysis: Petro’s leadership role at the Kennedy Space Center suggests significant experience in space operations, making her a qualified candidate for the NASA Administrator position.
31. Caleb Vitello: Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
    • Previous Position: Assistant Director for the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs (OFTP)
    • Analysis: His extensive senior leadership roles within ICE and DHS, combined with his experience in enforcement operations and policy development, align with the responsibilities of managing ICE’s 13,000+ workforce and complex mission requirement

In summary, while some appointees have relevant experience that aligns with their designated roles, others may lack the specific background or expertise traditionally associated with effective leadership in their respective positions.