Lee Zeldin, Trump’s nominee to run the Environmental Protection Agency, Kash Patel, the nominee for FBI Director and Pete Hegseth, the nominee for Secretary of Defense leave the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Acting chiefs named for national-security agencies
The new president has tapped career federal executives to serve until his own picks can be approved.
Updated: Jan. 20, 8 p.m.
Donald Trump has named the acting heads of national-security agencies—all career federal executives—to serve until Senate-confirmed nominees are in place, according to a White House press release issued soon after the inauguration on Monday.
Some of the officials will serve in the roles for just a few days, though others could stay on for longer as bruising confirmation battles play out. One has already been supplanted, by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, approved unanimously by the Senate on Monday afternoon.
Trump has yet to name a nominee for the U.S. Agency for International Development. He is not expected to retain any President Biden appointees to temporarily stay in office, as Biden did in 2021 in a few cases for departing Trump officials.
The acting chiefs include:
Defense Department: Robert Salesses, a career Senior Executive Service employee who has worked in federal government for more than two decades and has twice won the prestigious President Rank Award. Trump also tapped career officials to be acting heads of the military services. Trump’s pick for permanent defense secretary, former Fox contributor Pete Hegseth, was approved out of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday; his vote before the full Senate has not been set.
Energy Department: Ingrid Kolb, a career official with decades of experience in government and 20 years of service at the department. Christopher Wright, who had a hearing on Jan. 15, is awaiting confirmation as secretary.
Homeland Security Department: Benjamine Huffman, a career Senior Executive Service employee who currently serves as the director of Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and previously served at the U.S. Border Patrol and in several roles in Customs and Border Protection. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who testified at a hearing on Jan. 18, is currently awaiting confirmation as secretary. She is expected to be among the first to receive a vote before the full Senate.
Justice Department: James McHenry, a career Justice official who currently serves as chief hearing administrative officer in the Executive Office of Immigration Review, will serve as acting attorney general. He helped implement some of Trump’s policies when he led EOIR during Trump’s first term. Pam Bondi is awaiting confirmation to lead Justice after receiving a confirmation hearing Jan. 15.
State Department: Lisa Kenna, a career Senior Foreign Service member with the rank of ambassador who currently serves as State’s executive secretary. Her tenure is likely to be particularly short-lived; Marco Rubio is expected to receive a confirmation vote as secretary as soon as Monday.
Office of the Director of National Intelligence: Stacey Dixon, the Senate-confirmed principal deputy director of national intelligence. Trump’s pick, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, has proven controversial because of past Russia-aligned public statements.
CIA: Thomas Sylvester, Jr., the agency’s deputy director for operations. Trump’s pick, former DNI John Ratcliffe, had a confirmation hearing on Jan. 15.
FBI: Brian Driscoll was recently named special agent in charge of the Newark field office. Former director Chris Wray resigned, even though he had three years left of his term, after Trump announced his intention to nominate Kash Patel, a former Trump administration official and federal prosecutor who is regarded as a Trump loyalist.
U.S. Agency for International Development: Jason Gray, the agency’s chief information officer. Trump has not announced a permanent head for this position.