Understanding you can act on
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| Published: | 2016-Nov-09 |
| Last Updated: | 2016-Nov-09 |
| Principal Writer: | Barry Shatzman |
 | Understanding The Issue |
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Keeping tabs on a unique presidency
The election of Donald Trump to become the country's 45th president represents a sharp change in many aspects of our political system - in both stated policies and rhetoric.
Although most of of our focus is on Congress, because...
o Congress is where legislation originates
o Each representative represents less than a million people and must be re-elected each 2 years, whereas the president represents more than 300 million people and is accountable only every 4 years
o Each representative represents less than a million people and must be re-elected each 2 years, whereas the president represents more than 300 million people and is accountable only every 4 years
... we think there's a benefit to keeping tabs on the tone the president sets and what he or she does that likely will affect most Americans, and to explaining those effects.
This new feature is something we plan to continue with future administrations as well as this one
Who will make up President Trump's initial administration?
One of the first ways to assess a new presidency it is to examine the people nominated to initially run the administration. By naming nominees early, the Senate can act to confirm (or reject) them around the time the new president takes office.
We have compiled a list of President Donald Trump's nominees, as well as examining what they have done with regards to the agencies they are being nominated to lead...
Attorney General: Sen. Jeff Sessions
Sessions was rejected for a federal judgeship after testimony that he had made several racial comments. He voted to support torture by the U.S. military.
Click here to read our full discussion of Sessions.
Secretary of Agriculture: Sonny Perdue
Perdue grew up on a farm and is a veterinary doctor. He was governor of Georgia from 2003-2011, where he signed into law measures based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Click here to read our full discussion of Perdue.
Secretary of Commerce: Wilbur Ross
Ross's company recently paid a $2.3 million settlement to the Securities and Exchange Commission for cheating investors.
Click here to read our full discussion of Ross.
Secretary of Defense: Gen. James Mattis
Mattis retired from the Marine Corps in 2013. He now is a paid speaker and has been on the board of directors of defense contractor General Dynamics.
Click here to read our full discussion of Mattis.
Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos
DeVos has no professional education experience. She's a former chair of the Michigan Republican Party. She has raised political donations to support policies that would provide public money to private schools.
Click here to read our full discussion of DeVos.
Secretary of Energy: Rick Perry
This is one of the departments Perry advocated eliminating while running for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. He has no experience with nuclear weapons - an area that makes up a large part of the department's responsibilities.
Click here to read our full discussion of Perry.
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Rep. Tom Price
Price has introduced legislation to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and supports privatizing Medicare.
Click here to read our full discussion of Price.
Secretary of Homeland Security: Gen. John Kelly
Kelly is a retired 4-star general. He previously served as the senior military assistant to defense secretaries Robert Gates and Leon Panetta.
Click here to read our full discussion of Kelly.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): Ben Carson
Carson has no government or housing-policy experience. He has been critical of programs that work toward desegregating neighborhoods and housing.
Click here to read our full discussion of Carson.
Secretary of Labor: Andrew Puzder
Puzder is CEO of the company that runs several fast food chains. He has worked to oppose minimum-wage increases, workers' ability to unionize, and the employer mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Click here to read our full discussion of Puzder.
Secretary of State: Rex Tillerson
Tillerson is CEO of ExxonMobil. He has no government or diplomatic experience. He has strong business ties to leaders of several nations - most notably Russia.
Click here to read our full discussion of Tillerson.
Secretary of the Interior: Rep. Ryan Zinke
Zinke previously signed a pledge to oppose the Department of the Interior and to reclaim lands from the federal government (which would then be sold). He voted to limit the president's ability to protect public lands by declaring them national monuments. Although in the past he has said that climate change is a national threat, he voted to prohibit requiring the Department of Defense from considering climate change in its plans. He also most recently said that global warming is not proven science.
Click here to read our full discussion of Zinke.
Secretary of the Treasury: Steve Mnuchin
Mnuchin, who runs a hedge fund, is a former partner at Goldman Sachs. In 2009 he bought a failed subprime lender. Over the next six years the bank foreclosed on more than 35,000 mortgages and was charged with filing false documents.
Click here to read our full discussion of Mnuchin.
Secretary of Transportation: Elaine Chao
As Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, Chao cut mine safety inspections prior to two disasters in which 15 people died. The Labor Department under Chao also was found to have inadequately investigated claims from workers over their employers failing to pay minimum wage or overtime pay. She is married to Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Click here to read our full discussion of Chao.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: David Shulkin
Shulkin has served as the VA undersecretary for health since March 2015.
Click here to read our full discussion of Shulkin.
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Scott Pruitt
Pruitt has sued the EPA several times to prevent it from enforcing rules such as those to limit pollution crossing state boundaries. He publicly questions global warming. In the past 15 years Pruitt has received more $270,000 in donations from the oil and gas industry.
Click here to read our full discussion of Pruitt.
Administrator of the Small Business Administration: Linda McMahon
The former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), McMahon has spent millions lobbying to avoid regulations and to help elect Trump president.
Click here to read our full discussion of McMahon.
Ambassador to the United Nations: Nikki Haley
The South Carolina governor has little international experience. She supported a state law to prohibit companies the state does business with from boycotting certain Israeli companies.
Click here to read our full discussion of Haley.
Chair to the Council of Economic Advisors: Larry Kudlow
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Rep. Mick Mulvaney
Mulvaney has voted to cut Medicare benefits. He supported shutting down the government in 2013 and 2015 in an effort to de-fund the Affordable Care Act and Planned Parenthood.
Click here to read our full discussion of Mulvaney.
U.S. Trade Representative: Robert E. Lighthizer
Lightizer was deputy U.S. Trade Representative under Pres. Ronald Reagan. He is an attorney who has represented heavy manufacturing, agricultural, and tech companies. He has opposed various free trade agreements.
Click here to read our full discussion of Lightizer.
White House Chief of Staff: Reince Priebus
Preibus is chair of the Republican National Committee.
Click here to read our full discussion of Priebus.
Securities and Exchange Commission Chair: Jay Clayton
Clayton is an attorney who has represented financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs - which included defending clients against the SEC. He has argued against laws that protect investors. He has no government experience.
Note: The SEC is not a cabinet position
Click here to read our full discussion of Clayton.
Sessions was rejected for a federal judgeship after testimony that he had made several racial comments. He voted to support torture by the U.S. military.
Click here to read our full discussion of Sessions.
Secretary of Agriculture: Sonny Perdue
Perdue grew up on a farm and is a veterinary doctor. He was governor of Georgia from 2003-2011, where he signed into law measures based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Click here to read our full discussion of Perdue.
Secretary of Commerce: Wilbur Ross
Ross's company recently paid a $2.3 million settlement to the Securities and Exchange Commission for cheating investors.
Click here to read our full discussion of Ross.
Secretary of Defense: Gen. James Mattis
Mattis retired from the Marine Corps in 2013. He now is a paid speaker and has been on the board of directors of defense contractor General Dynamics.
Click here to read our full discussion of Mattis.
Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos
DeVos has no professional education experience. She's a former chair of the Michigan Republican Party. She has raised political donations to support policies that would provide public money to private schools.
Click here to read our full discussion of DeVos.
Secretary of Energy: Rick Perry
This is one of the departments Perry advocated eliminating while running for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. He has no experience with nuclear weapons - an area that makes up a large part of the department's responsibilities.
Click here to read our full discussion of Perry.
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Rep. Tom Price
Price has introduced legislation to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and supports privatizing Medicare.
Click here to read our full discussion of Price.
Secretary of Homeland Security: Gen. John Kelly
Kelly is a retired 4-star general. He previously served as the senior military assistant to defense secretaries Robert Gates and Leon Panetta.
Click here to read our full discussion of Kelly.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): Ben Carson
Carson has no government or housing-policy experience. He has been critical of programs that work toward desegregating neighborhoods and housing.
Click here to read our full discussion of Carson.
Secretary of Labor: Andrew Puzder
Puzder is CEO of the company that runs several fast food chains. He has worked to oppose minimum-wage increases, workers' ability to unionize, and the employer mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Click here to read our full discussion of Puzder.
Secretary of State: Rex Tillerson
Tillerson is CEO of ExxonMobil. He has no government or diplomatic experience. He has strong business ties to leaders of several nations - most notably Russia.
Click here to read our full discussion of Tillerson.
Secretary of the Interior: Rep. Ryan Zinke
Zinke previously signed a pledge to oppose the Department of the Interior and to reclaim lands from the federal government (which would then be sold). He voted to limit the president's ability to protect public lands by declaring them national monuments. Although in the past he has said that climate change is a national threat, he voted to prohibit requiring the Department of Defense from considering climate change in its plans. He also most recently said that global warming is not proven science.
Click here to read our full discussion of Zinke.
Secretary of the Treasury: Steve Mnuchin
Mnuchin, who runs a hedge fund, is a former partner at Goldman Sachs. In 2009 he bought a failed subprime lender. Over the next six years the bank foreclosed on more than 35,000 mortgages and was charged with filing false documents.
Click here to read our full discussion of Mnuchin.
Secretary of Transportation: Elaine Chao
As Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, Chao cut mine safety inspections prior to two disasters in which 15 people died. The Labor Department under Chao also was found to have inadequately investigated claims from workers over their employers failing to pay minimum wage or overtime pay. She is married to Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Click here to read our full discussion of Chao.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: David Shulkin
Shulkin has served as the VA undersecretary for health since March 2015.
Click here to read our full discussion of Shulkin.
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Scott Pruitt
Pruitt has sued the EPA several times to prevent it from enforcing rules such as those to limit pollution crossing state boundaries. He publicly questions global warming. In the past 15 years Pruitt has received more $270,000 in donations from the oil and gas industry.
Click here to read our full discussion of Pruitt.
Administrator of the Small Business Administration: Linda McMahon
The former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), McMahon has spent millions lobbying to avoid regulations and to help elect Trump president.
Click here to read our full discussion of McMahon.
Ambassador to the United Nations: Nikki Haley
The South Carolina governor has little international experience. She supported a state law to prohibit companies the state does business with from boycotting certain Israeli companies.
Click here to read our full discussion of Haley.
Chair to the Council of Economic Advisors: Larry Kudlow
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Rep. Mick Mulvaney
Mulvaney has voted to cut Medicare benefits. He supported shutting down the government in 2013 and 2015 in an effort to de-fund the Affordable Care Act and Planned Parenthood.
Click here to read our full discussion of Mulvaney.
U.S. Trade Representative: Robert E. Lighthizer
Lightizer was deputy U.S. Trade Representative under Pres. Ronald Reagan. He is an attorney who has represented heavy manufacturing, agricultural, and tech companies. He has opposed various free trade agreements.
Click here to read our full discussion of Lightizer.
White House Chief of Staff: Reince Priebus
Preibus is chair of the Republican National Committee.
Click here to read our full discussion of Priebus.
Securities and Exchange Commission Chair: Jay Clayton
Clayton is an attorney who has represented financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs - which included defending clients against the SEC. He has argued against laws that protect investors. He has no government experience.
Note: The SEC is not a cabinet position
Click here to read our full discussion of Clayton.
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