Tracking Trump cabinet confirmations – so far

Kristi Noem

Trump selected South Dakota’s governor, Kristi Noem – a staunch ally who has little experience on the national security stage – to serve as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. She will oversee everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the US Secret Service.

Noem was confirmed on 25 January.

Pete Hegseth

Trump nominated the former Fox News host and army veteran Pete Hegseth to be defense secretary, a surprise decision that stunned the Pentagon.

During his hearing, Democrats asked Hegseth pointed questions about allegations of sexual misconduct and claims that he was frequently intoxicated in the workplace when he led two different non-profit organizations. Democratic senators and several Republicans expressed concerns that he was not qualified to lead the country’s largest government agency.

He was confirmed in a late-night vote on 24 January, with a tie-breaking vote from JD Vance.

John Ratcliffe

Trump loyalist John Ratcliffe previously served as director of national intelligence during the final months of the president’s first term.

Ratcliffe was confirmed by the Senate on 23 January in a 74-25 vote, with 20 Democrats and one independent joining Republicans in backing the nomination.

Marco Rubio

Senator Marco Rubio, 53, was confirmed as the first Latino to serve as secretary of state on 20 January. It was widely expected Rubio would secure confirmation, as senators largely viewed him as one of the least controversial of Trump’s cabinet picks.

Rubio received 99 votes, becoming the first member of Trump’s cabinet to win Senate approval.

Pam Bondi

Role offered: Attorney general

Pam Bondi, the first female attorney general of Florida and a lawyer for Trump during his first impeachment trial, replaced the president’s first pick, Matt Gaetz, to head the justice department.

At her 15 January hearing, Bondi, 59, insisted she would ensure the justice department would remain independent. At the same time, she failed to say that Trump lost the 2020 election.

Doug Collins

Role offered: Veterans affairs secretary

Doug Collins, the former Georgia representative who defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, was nominated by Trump to be secretary of veterans affairs.

During his 22 January hearing, Collins pledged to “take care of the veterans” should he succeed in the confirmation process.

Elise Stefanik

Role offered: UN ambassador

New York representative Elise Stefanik was selected by Trump to be the ambassador to the UN. Floated as a possible Trump running mate, Stefanik is the highest-ranking woman in the Republican conference in the House of Representatives.

During her confirmation hearing, Stefanik endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.

Russ Vought

Role offered: Office of management and budget chief

OMB chief during Trump’s first term in office, Russ Vought has been deeply involved in Project 2025.

During a 15 January hearing, Vought declined to fully commit to distributing congressionally approved funds, specifically US military aid to Ukraine.

Brooke Rollins

Role offered: Agriculture secretary

If confirmed, Brooke Rollins would lead a 100,000-person agency that would carry out an agenda with implications for American diets and wallets, both urban and rural.

Rollins was president of America First Policy Institute, a group helping lay the groundwork for Trump’s second administration.

Sean Duffy

Role offered: Secretary of transportation

Trump named Sean Duffy, a former Republican congressman and co-host on Fox Business, to serve as the secretary of transportation. That role oversees aviation, automotive, rail, transit and other transportation policies and a budget of about $110bn.

He appeared before the Senate on 15 January.

Chris Wright

Role offered: Energy secretary

Trump named Chris Wright, an oil and gas industry executive with no political experience, to lead the US Department of Energy.

During a 15 January confirmation hearing, Wright faced criticism for disputing the ties between climate change and more frequent or severe wildfires, and for calling wildfire concerns “hype” and dismissing their connection to climate policies.

Doug Burgum

Role offered: Interior secretary

Trump named Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, as his pick for secretary of the interior.

Lee Zeldin

Role offered: Environmental Protection Agency administrator

Trump named the former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin said he would work to “restore American energy dominance”.

Scott Turner

Role offered: Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary

Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term.

Scott Bessent

Role offered: Treasury secretary

Trump named Scott Bessent, a prominent Wall Street investor and Trump fundraiser, to be his nominee for treasury secretary. He has praised Trump for using tariffs as a negotiating tool.

Howard Lutnick

Role offered: Commerce secretary

Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

Trump nominated Howard Lutnick, co-chair of his transition team, to be his commerce secretary. Lutnick has uniformly praised the president-elect’s economic policies, including his use of tariffs.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Role offered: Labor secretary

Photograph: Jemal Countess/UPI/Rex/Shutterstock

Trump tapped the Oregon Republican for labor secretary, a position that would oversee the department’s workforce and its budget, and would put forth priorities that affect workers’ wages, health and safety, the ability to unionize and employers’ rights to fire workers, among other responsibilities.

Robert F Kennedy Jr

Role offered: Secretary of health and human services

Trump has named Robert F Kennedy Jr his secretary of health and human services. In a statement, Trump said Kennedy would protect Americans from “harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives” that have caused a health crisis.

Linda McMahon

Role offered: Education secretary

Trump named Linda McMahon, co-chair of his transition team, his pick for education secretary. Trump, who previously promised to dismantle the Department of Education, said McMahon would work to “expand ‘choice’” across the US and send education “back to the states”.

Tulsi Gabbard

Role offered: National intelligence director

Trump announced Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat, as his nominee for director of national intelligence.

Jamieson Greer

Role offered: US trade representative

Trump lauded Jamieson Greer for his role enacting the USMCA, a revamped trade pact between the US, Mexico and Canada, and imposing tariffs on China. If confirmed, Greer will be tasked with reining in the trade deficit and opening up “export markets everywhere”.

Kelly Loeffler

Role offered: administrator of the Small Business Administration

Trump named former senator Kelly Loeffler to head the Small Business Administration. He said she will use her business experience to “reduce red tape” and “unleash opportunity” for small businesses.

Mehmet Oz

Role offered: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator

Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Trump tapped Dr Mehmet Oz to serve as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, adding that he would work closely with Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Brendan Carr

Role offered: Chair of the Federal Communications Commission

Trump tapped Brendan Carr to be the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, the independent agency that regulates telecommunications.

In a statement, Trump said Carr “is a warrior for Free Speech, and has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms, and held back our Economy”.

Kash Patel

Role offered: FBI director

Trump nominated the “deep state” critic Kash Patel to be FBI director. He has called for leadership of the federal law enforcement agency to be fired as part of a drive to bring federal law enforcement “to heel”.