Who's who in Trump's new administration

President-elect Donald Trump is stocking his Cabinet with people he wants to carry out his “America First” policies on the border, trade, national security, the economy and more.

Trump has put a premium on loyalty with his picks, selecting lawmakers and aides who defended him as he navigated the fallout from the Jan. 6, 2021 attempted insurrection and multiple criminal trials.

He’s also prioritized those who have expressed an eagerness to hit the ground running as he prepares an expected flurry of executive actions and legislative proposals to quickly implement his agenda and roll back President Joe Biden’s policies. More choices are expected to be announced in the coming days, with Trump hoping to get as many nominees that require Senate confirmation in place ahead of his inauguration.

Here’s a look at some of the people Trump has lined up so far:

Doug Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins got Trump’s nod to run Veterans Affairs, the second-largest federal government department with more than 400,000 employees tasked with providing health care and other assistance to military veterans and their families. Collins, who left Congress in 2021, would preside over sprawling operations — the department is one of the biggest consumers of medical equipment in the world. He’d also have to ensure the families get adequate support, especially in the wake of a 2014 scandal in which secret wait lists at VA hospitals shattered confidence in the system just as Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were needing fresh aid.

Doug Burgum, Secretary of Interior

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is Trump’s pick to run the Interior Department, which oversees energy development, grazing and other activities on some 500 million acres of public land, as well as U.S. federal waters. That includes national parks such as Yellowstone and the Everglades. The 68-year-old raised his profile by running for the Republican nomination, but dropped out early and backed Trump. If confirmed, Burgum would likely be responsible for ramping up the sale of oil and gas leases, including in the Gulf of Mexico, which had been constrained under President Joe Biden.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Health & Human Services Secretary

The selection of Kennedy, a vocal vaccine skeptic, drew some worries for what it would mean for public health policy, and the news sent vaccine-makers’ stocks for a plunge. The Democrat-turned-independent — who suspended his presidential candidacy in favor of Trump — has long fielded criticism for his controversial comments on vaccines and the Covid-19 pandemic. The son of former Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy became a public face in recent months for Trump’s call to “Make America Healthy Again.” In the final days of his campaign, Trump said he would let Kennedy “go wild” with health policy in his administration.

Matt Gaetz, Attorney General

Another Florida native on the incoming team, Gaetz, if confirmed, would leave his post as a Republican congressman to head the Justice Department, where Trump has signaled he’ll push for a radical transformation. The DOJ, which has more than 115,000 employees, sits at the apex of the machinery that Trump will need to carry out his agenda from enforcing federal laws to litigating controversial matters. It also plays a key role in doling out billions of dollars in grant funding for immigration enforcement, border security and policing — issues that Gaetz has underscored as a leading advocate for Trump’s agenda in the House.

Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence

Former U.S. Representative and one-time Democrat Gabbard got Trump’s nod to be his head of the office that overseas the country’s 17 intelligence agencies. In Gabbard, Trump is making another unorthodox pick, elevating a loyalist and skeptic of support for Ukraine. Gabbard is a veteran of the Iraq War and continues to serve as an officer in the Army Reserve. She’s another voice backing Trump’s “peace through strength” strategy, having advocated for fewer deployments of U.S. troops abroad.

Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary

An Army veteran and Fox News personality, Hegseth would oversee the U.S. military amid Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine, conflicts raging across the Middle East and heightened tensions with China around Taiwan and the South China Sea. While he’s a loyalist, the 44-year-old Hegseth has little experience managing a bureaucracy like the Defense Department, with its 770,000 employees and 2 million men and women in uniform. Its budget is more than $840 billion and its finances are so complicated it’s never successfully completed an audit.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, Government Efficiency

Trump turned to his richest supporter and a former primary opponent to oversee what he calls the “Department of Government Efficiency” whose acronym, DOGE, is the same as a popular meme coin that Musk has promoted online. While “department” suggests a government agency, it’s more likely to be a presidential commission that looks at ways to cut spending. Musk — whose companies receive billions in federal contracts — at one point in the campaign suggested that $2 trillion in government outlays could be slashed from the budget.

John Ratcliffe, Central Intelligence Agency

Trump is turning to his former director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, to lead the CIA. The 59-year-old ex-congressman was a fierce defender of Trump during his first impeachment before winning Senate confirmation to oversee the intelligence services in 2020. Assuming he wins confirmation this time around, Ratcliffe is expected to bring a sharp focus on countering national security threats and foreign adversaries such as China and Iran to the role.

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

Rubio is a one-time rival of the president-elect who later became one of his biggest supporters in the Senate. He’s also a longtime critic of China, and technically barred from entering the country under retaliatory sanctions. Rubio has defended Trump’s position to bring a swift end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling for talks that could result in Kyiv giving up occupied territory.

Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor

Waltz is a former Army Green Beret and combat veteran of Afghanistan. As chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s readiness panel, he criticized the Pentagon over teaching Critical Race Theory at military institutions and an overpriced bag of metal bushings for the Air Force, among other objections. Waltz has written that he views China as a “greater threat” to the U.S. than any other nation.

Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Secretary

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, once a potential VP pick for Trump, is now his choice to lead the Homeland Security Department. Noem became the subject of intense criticism after she admitted in her book to shooting her own 14-month-old dog. Front and center for the 52-year-old in her expected new role will be implementing Trump’s policies on immigration, including his pledge to carry out mass deportations of undocumented migrants.

Elise Stefanik, U.N. Ambassador

Trump has described Stefanik as “an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.” Stefanik was among the House Republicans who voted against certifying Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump and was the first House member to endorse him in this third White House bid.

Tom Homan, border czar

The man Trump put “in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin” was the public face of the “zero tolerance” immigration policies during the Republican’s first term. That episode broke with the practice of keeping families together during detentions and deportations, resulting in thousands of undocumented migrant children getting separated from family members and drawing widespread backlash.

Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator

The former New York congressman was a member of Trump’s impeachment defense team and a vocal supporter in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riots. His environmental credentials are less robust, though he worked on Capitol Hill to protect the Long Island Sound from dredge dumping. Zeldin said he will seek to roll back regulations preventing energy development in the role, while also seeking to protect the air and water.

Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff

The Republican political operative brought stability, order and financial discipline to a campaign whose 2016 and 2020 iterations were far more volatile. She’s set to become the first woman tapped to become chief of staff and will likely help set strategy for Trump’s first 100 days in office.

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—With assistance from Kevin Dharmawan, Justin Sink, Daniel Flatley, Ramsey Al-Rikabi, Meghashyam Mali and Skylar Woodhouse.