Trump’s Cabinet Confirmations (UPDATED)

This is an evolving story so please check back for updates.

As of Thursday, February 20, the following individuals are officially confirmed to President Donald Trump’s cabinet:

Public domain

Kash Patel

… was confirmed as Director of the FBI on Thursday, February 20 in a 51 – 49 vote. Republican Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats in opposing Patel’s confirmation, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

Patel has previously vowed that, once confirmed, he’s “coming after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.”

“I’d shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state,’” Patel told Shawn Ryan in a September 2024 interview, according to AP. “Then, I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You’re cops — go be cops.”

Public Domain

Kelly Loeffler

… joined President Trump’s cabinet as Small Business Administration administrator on Feb. 19. The Senate voted to confirm Loeffler’s appointment 52 – 46. Loeffler served as senator for Georgia for two years and has an extensive background as a business executive and philanthropist, according to Fox.

Loeffler has promised to “restore the small business economy” and lead the way to a “golden era of prosperity and growth.” (RELATED: Mitch McConnell Accused Of Taking ‘Revenge’ On Trump With Cabinet Votes)

“That’s exactly what the America First agenda does — by ending inflation, cutting taxes, unleashing American energy dominance, slashing regulation, and reining in fraud, waste, and abuse across government,” she said during her confirmation hearing.

Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com

Howard Lutnick

… was confirmed early in the evening of Tuesday, February 18 as Commerce Secretary. Senators voted 51 – 45 in favor of the Canter Fitzgerald CEO’s appointment. He’ll now go from Wall Street to overseeing America’s “trade, shipping, infrastructure, telecommunications, environmental monitoring and intellectual property,” The Hill reported.

“My plan is to only serve the American people. So I will divest, meaning I will sell all of my interests, all of my business interests, all of my assets, everything,” Lutnick said, according to Fox. “I’ve worked together with the Office of Government Ethics, and we’ve reached agreement on how to do that, and I will be divesting within 90 days upon my confirmation.”

Public Domain

Former White House official Brooke Rollins

… was approved 72 to 28 on February 13, becoming Agriculture Sec. “I know Brooke Rollins shares my commitment to enhancing policies that help farm families and rural communities thrive,” Republican Arkansas Sen. John Boozman said Thursday. “Given her executive leadership, she is well-prepared to hit the ground running when she walks through the doors of USDA as Secretary and deliver the certainty and predictability our producers need.”

Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

… became Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary on February 13 after the Senate voted 52-48. The vote was almost straight down party lines, save for Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell who voted against Kennedy’s confirmation, according to Fox News. (POPULAR: Greed, Ambition, and the Fight for Women’s Sports: A Turning Point or Just a Temporary Win?)

During his confirmation hearings and at other time during his more public career since joining Trumps cabinet, RFK Jr. has stated that he’s prayed to God for decades to put him in a position to fix healthcare across the U.S. Prior to joining Trump’s team, RFK Jr. was a long-time Democrat.

Tulsi Gabbard / Public Domain

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

… was confirmed shortly before noon on February 12 as the Trump administration’s Director of National Intelligence. Her first priority in her new position is to “assess the global threat environment and identify where gaps in our intelligence exist,” according to an op-ed published by Newsweek.

“For too long, faulty, inadequate and weaponized intelligence has led to costly failures, which have undermined our national security and constitutional freedoms,” she noted. Her other priorities include:

• “[D]eliver on President Trump’s commitment to the American people to end the politicization of the IC and provide focus to the IC’s essential mission, which is securing our nation.
• “[R]ebuild trust in the intelligence community through transparency and accountability.
• [A]ssess and address efficiency, redundancy, and effectiveness across ODNI.

Russell Vought / Public Domain

Former White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought

… is back at the helm of OMB for a second time after his confirmation win late Thursday (Feb. 6) night. He’s the 13th nominee to receive confirmation for Trump’s cabinet. Lawmakers spoke for some 30 hours on the Senate floor to delay Vought’s confirmation for as long as possible, but they were ultimately unsuccessful. (POPULAR: Medicaid Work Requirement Could Hit US State)

“As director of OMB, Mr. Vought will have the chance to address two key economic issues — cutting burdensome government regulations and addressing excessive spending,” U.S. Senate Majority Leader,  South Dakota Republican John Thune said prior to Vought’s confirmation. “Republicans are determined to alleviate that regulatory burden – for the sake of economic growth, and to improve the lives of hardworking Americans. And I know that Mr. Vought will make getting rid of burdensome regulations a priority.”

Wikimedia Commons public domain

Texas State Legislator Scott Turner

… will lead Trump’s Housing and Urban Development Department as of Wednesday, February 5. “HUD’s mission is to create strong and sustainable communities and support quality affordable homes — serving the most vulnerable of our nation,” Turner said during his confirmation hearing. “Yet, as we sit here, we have a housing crisis in our country, where American people and families are struggling every day. HUD is failing at its most basic mission.”

Turner’s career includes playing for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, and Denver Broncos. He started his political career in 2003 while still playing for the NFL. As Trump’s 12th nominee to win confirmation, the administration’s confirmation schedule has outpaced both the Biden and first Trump administration.

Maxim Elramsisy / Shutterstock.com

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi

… is set to lead Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) after an almost-party-line vote in early February. Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman supported Bondi’s nomination, bringing the final tally to 54-to-46.

Returning the DOJ to its mission of protecting Americans and enforcing the law is Bondi’s key goal in her new position, according to her hearing testimony. She intends to end the “agency’s lawfare practices that occurred during the Biden administration,” Daily Caller News Foundation reported. (POPULAR: Angel Studios Reveals Massive February Content Drop)

“If confirmed as United States Attorney General, my overriding objective would be to return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law,” Bondi said during her confirmation hearing. “That requires getting back to basics—prosecuting violent crime and gang activity, stopping child predators and drug traffickers, protecting our nation from terrorists and other foreign threats, and addressing the overwhelming crisis at the border. The Department of Justice must also return to defending the foundational rights of all Americans, including free speech, free exercise of religion, and the right to bear arms.”

Former Republican Georgia Rep. Doug Collins

… sailed through his confirmation to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Senators voted 77 to 23, with more than half of the Democratic side supporting Collins’ nomination, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“I want to strengthen VA so it works better for America’s heroes, and I will embrace your oversight and seek your counsel as we work together to do just that,” Collins said during his confirmation hearing. “We will not shy away from challenges like homelessness and suicide prevention, electronic health record modernization, and shrinking the department’s claims backlog. And we will not stop until we succeed on behalf of the men and women who have worn the uniform.”

Chris Wright

… won his nomination in a bipartisan vote, confirming the fracking exe as Trump’s new secretary of Energy in early Feb. A handful of Democrats threw their support behind Wright, making him the ninth confirmed cabinet member.

“Energy has been a lifelong passion of mine, and I have never been shy about that fact,” Wright said during his confirmation hearing. “President Trump shares my passion for energy and, if confirmed, I will work tirelessly to implement his bold agenda as an unabashed steward for all sources of affordable, reliable and secure American energy.”

Former Republican Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy

… walked into his new position as Secretary of Transportation with over half of Senate Democrats joining Republicans to approve his appointment. “As a father of nine, Congressman Duffy knows better than most the truth of President-elect Trump’s comment on how important it is for families to be able to travel safely, and with peace of mind,” Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said of Duffy. “Congressman Duffy will promote a leaner, more efficient [Department of Transportation] DOT, eliminating onerous regulations while responsibly investing in the nation’s infrastructure and ensuring safety.”

Scott Bessent

… is leading the charge in unleashing a “new economic golden age” in the U.S. The billionaire hedge fund manager says he’ll work with Congress to extend the 2017 tax cuts signed under Trump’s previous administration.

“Today, I believe that President Trump has a generational opportunity to unleash a new economic golden age that will create more jobs, wealth and prosperity for all Americans,” he said during his hearing. “As President Trump has said, we will unleash the American economy by implementing pro-growth regulatory policies, reducing taxes and unleashing American energy production.”

Pete Hegseth

… might look familiar from his years at Fox News, but he’s officially our 29th Secretary of Defense. “Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation,” Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tilis said around the time of Hegseth’s confirmation.

“I will support his confirmation and look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and advance President Trump’s peace through strength agenda.”

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio

… walked into his new position as Secretary of State with 99 yes votes and zero no votes, according to the unofficial tally, making him arguably the most popular of all Trump’s picks thus far.

“While America far too often continued to prioritize the ‘global order’ above our core national interests, other nations continued to act the way countries always have and always will, in what they perceive to be in their best interest,” Rubio said during his confirmation hearing. “And instead of folding into the post-Cold War global order, they have manipulated it to serve their interest at the expense of ours.”

Former New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin

… won his position in a bipartisan vote in late January. Senators voted 56 to 42 in favor of Zeldin, with several Democrats, such as Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly voting for the nominee. Two Democrats did not vote, Daily Caller News Foundation reported.

“The EPA must also be better stewards of tax dollars, honor cooperative federalism, and be transparent and accountable to Congress and the public,” Zeldin said during his opening remarks at the confirmation hearing. “A big part of this will require building private sector collaboration to promote common sense, smart regulation that will allow American innovation to continue to lead the world.”

Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe

… received huge support for his nomination as CIA director for the Trump administration. Some Democratic lawmakers voted against Ratcliffe, but most came in with huge support. (POPULAR: States Poised To Post Ten Commandments In Schools)

“We will collect intelligence — especially human intelligence — in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult,” Ratcliffe said in his testimony to the Senate Intel panel according to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We will produce insightful, objective, all-source analysis, never allowing political or personal biases to cloud our judgement or infect our products. We will conduct covert action at the direction of the president, going places no one else can go and doing things no one else can do.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem

…was confirmed as DHS Secretary in late January, and immediately got to work on one of Trump’s largest campaign promises: deporting illegal immigrants from the U.S., starting with those who’ve committed crimes in addition to being in the country illegally.

Noem has also called out the media for wrongly portraying the work carried out under the Trump administration to tackle illegal immigration as a threat to legal immigrants. “There’s nothing from this administration, from President Trump or from any of the law enforcement individuals in these communities [legal immigrants] that has said that they need to walk around and be concerned about that at all,” she told NBC.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum

…was confirmed with a 79-18 vote, with more than half of Senate Democrats joining their Republican counterparts in their support. Burgum’s role will involve unleashing “energy abundance” across our great nation, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Governor Burgum knows that America’s natural resources are our greatest national asset,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said shortly prior to Burgum’s confirmation. “Too often, under the Biden administration, the Interior Department was the tip of the spear in restricting development of America’s resources.”

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