Here are the acting department heads in Trump's second term
President Trump is tapping a number of officials to serve as acting department heads as he waits for the Senate to confirm his Cabinet nominees.
While some acting heads will only serve for a short time until their permanent successors are confirmed, others could be in their jobs for some time.
Here’s a look at who the Trump administration is tapping for acting department heads:
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director
Brian Driscoll, who helmed the FBI Newark field office, will serve as acting FBI director.
Trump has chosen Kash Patel, who worked in the Trump administration in various capacities, to helm the FBI. He’s a controversial pick, and while the GOP majority in the Senate means he’ll probably be confirmed, it might take some time.
Attorney General
Immigration lawyer James McHenry has been tapped to serve as acting attorney general as the Senate looks to confirm former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi.
The Senate held a confirmation hearing for her last week and she is expected to win confirmation handily.
Secretary of State
Lisa Kenna, a former U.S. ambassador to Peru, has been tapped to be acting secretary of state.
Kenna may just keep the position warm for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Trump’s permanent nominee.
He’ll likely be confirmed by the Senate as early as Monday night.
Treasury Secretary
Fiscal Assistant Secretary David Lebryk has been tapped to be acting treasury secretary while lawmakers wait to confirm Trump’s pick, Scott Bessent.
Bessent testified before senators last week.
Homeland Security Secretary
Benjamine Huffman, who currently serves as the department’s Federal Law Enforcement Centers director, has been tapped to be acting secretary of the agency.
Trump has tapped South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) to helm the department and had her confirmation hearing last Friday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director
Longtime ICE official Caleb Vitello was tapped by Trump to be its acting director in December.
Defense Secretary
Robert Salesses, the deputy director of the Washington Headquarters Services, has been tapped to be the acting defense secretary as lawmakers look to confirm former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth.
Democrats grilled Hegseth during his confirmation hearing last week and he is seen as one of Trump’s more controversial picks, particularly after a police report became public last year, in which a woman accused Hegseth of sexually assaulting her in 2017. Hegseth said it was consensual and denies any wrongdoing. No charges have stemmed from the incident.
Hegseth’s odds of being confirmed have grown as several Republicans, including Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a military veteran and sexual assault survivor, and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), have said they would vote to confirm him.
Health and Human Services Secretary
Dorothy Fink, director of the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has been tapped to be acting HHS secretary.
Former presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was tapped to helm the department by Trump.
Kennedy’s history of controversial statements and criticisms of vaccines could make his confirmation difficult.
Agriculture Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture chief information officer Gary Washington has been tapped as acting agriculture secretary as the Trump administration waits to see Brooke Rollins, president and CEP of the America First Policy Institute, confirmed.
Commerce Secretary
Jeremy Pelter, who served as deputy assistant secretary for administration, is the acting commerce secretary. Trump nominated Cantor Fitzgerald CEO and chairman Howard Lutnick for the role.
Education Secretary
Denise Carter, the acting chief operating officer at Federal Student Aid, has been tapped as acting education secretary. Trump tapped Linda McMahon, a former Small Business Administration administrator for the full-time role.
Energy Secretary
Ingrid Kolb served as the director of Office of Management within the Energy Department and has been tapped the lead the department. Chris Wright, who has his confirmation hearing last week, is the CEO of Liberty Energy.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary
Matthew Ammon served as the director of the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes and is tapped to be acting HUD secretary. Former NFL player Scott Turner, also a top official at the America First Policy Institute, was chosen for the full-time role.
Interior Secretary
Walter Cruickshank, deputy director for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, has been chosen as acting Interior Secretary, and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) has been nominated to fill the position long-term.
Labor Secretary
Vince Micone, the deputy assistant secretary for operations in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management within the Labor Department, is set to be the acting head of the department.
Trump nominated former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) to be his Labor secretary.
Transportation Secretary
Judith Kaleta, deputy general counsel at the Department of Transportation, will serve as acting head of the department while former Rep. Sean Duffey (R-Wis.) waits to be confirmed.
Veterans Affairs Secretary
Todd Hunter, the deputy executive director of the Office of Mission Support, is set to be the acting head of the Veterans Affairs Department while former Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) looks to be confirmed in the Senate.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director
Tom Sylvester, who served as the CIA deputy director for operations, will temporarily helm the agency as John Ratcliffe, a former director of national intelligence waits for confirmation.
Director of National Intelligence
Stacey Dixon, a principal deputy director of national intelligence, will be the acting head as former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard waits to be confirmed.
Gabbard is another controversial pick and may face a tough path to getting confirmed.
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