Part 2: President Trump’s cabinet positions
Who has been confirmed and what will they do
As I follow the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, I will keep you up to date on the official cabinet as they are confirmed. Nine more seats have been filled as of Feb. 23, the first four being covered here are: Secretary of Education, Attorney General, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Secretary of the Treasury. In an effort to keep you as informed as possible, I have assembled and summarized brief biographies, political histories and the specific duties of the cabinet members.
Secretary of Education
Elisabeth Dee “Betsy” DeVos has been active in the Republican Party since 1982, serving 16 consecutive two-year terms as a Michigan Republican Party local precinct delegate, a Republican National Committee member in Michigan from 1992 to 1997, and a chairperson of the Michigan Republican Party between 1996 and 2000. DeVos and her family have been involved in the Republican Party for decades, donating over $17 million to candidates and committees since 1989. DeVos has said that education reform is necessary “to help advance God’s Kingdom,” and believes that public schools have “displaced churches as the center of communities.” DeVos is also a proponent of school vouchers and charter schools. The Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization DeVos runs with her husband, has made several donations over the years to various groups, organizations and schools including $750,000 to conservative think-tank American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy (of which DeVos sat on the board of directors) with another $1 million in future funding approved, $200,000 to the Potter’s House Christian school, and $350,000 to the Grand Rapids Christian School Association.
As Secretary of Education, DeVos will be responsible for the coordination, direction and supervision of the Department of Education and will advise the president on federal policies, programs and activities related to education in the United States. DeVos will focus on the development and enactment of policies, programs and activities in regard to primary and secondary education. Interests and issues will range from drug-free schools, special education and promotion of educational interventions and reforms. DeVos will be tasked with ensuring equal access to education and the promotion of educational excellence in the United States.
Attorney General
Jefferson Beauregard “Jeff” Sessions served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama from 1981 to 1993, the 44th Attorney General of Alabama from 1995 to 1997, and United States Senator from Alabama from 1997 to 2017. During his time in Congress, Sessions was opposed to legal and illegal immigration and was in support of the US government engaging in torture against enemy combatants. Sessions also supports civil forfeiture, has criticized the National Endowment for the Humanities for distributing books related to Islam, co-authored legislation to increase HIV/AIDS funding, and he is a climate change skeptic.
As Attorney General, Sessions will represent the interests of the people of the United States in court. Sessions will be the head of the Department of Justice and will serve as the chief law enforcement officer and chief lawyer of the United States government. He will be tasked with advising and giving opinions to the president and to the heads of the executive departments of the government when requested.
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Thomas Edmunds “Tom” Price served as a member of the Georgia Senate from 1997 to 2005, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia’s 6th district from 2005 to 2017, and Chair of the House Budget Committee from 2015 to 2017. Prior to a career in politics, Price ran an orthopedic clinic in Atlanta for 20 years, was an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Emory University, and was the director of the orthopedic clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Price has consistently voted against federal funding toward pro-choice groups like Planned Parenthood, voted against a law that would have the Food & Drug Administration regulate tobacco as a drug, and vocally denies scientific links between vaccines leading to autism.
As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Price will advise the president on matters of health, welfare and income security programs. Price will oversee the Department of Health and Human Services and ensure the success of its four-year strategic goals, the current set of goals stretching from 2014-2018. The Department of Health and Human Services oversees 11 different agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Secretary of the Treasury
Steven Terner “Steve” Mnuchin is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Goldman Sachs, having worked there from 1985 to 2002. Mnuchin was involved in hedge funds and purchased the failed residential lender IndyMac, which he rebranded as OneWest Bank. OneWest was involved in aggressive foreclosure of homes from 2009 to 2016. Mnuchin also founded the movie production company called RatPac-Dune Entertainment in 2004, which went on to produce a number of notable films including “The Lego Movie,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Suicide Squad” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”. Mnuchin’s political views include prioritizing growing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United States by 3 to 4 percent, as well as reducing corporate taxes to 15 percent. Mnuchin has donated extensively to both parties over the years, including donations to Clinton during her tenure in the U.S. Senate and to Trump’s presidential campaign.
As Secretary of the Treasury, Mnuchin will head the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He will act as the principal economic advisor to the president and bring an economic perspective to issues facing the government. Mnuchin will be responsible for writing and recommending domestic and international economic, financial and tax policies. He will also manage governmental debt, and assist in the creation of broad fiscal policies for the economy. Mnuchin will serve as the Chief Financial Officer of the government and will be the Chairman Pro Tempore of the President’s Economic Policy Council. He will also be Chairman of the Boards and Managing Trustee of the Social Security Trust Fund and the Medicare Trust Fund. Mnuchin will serve as the U.S. Governor of the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
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