- Senate confirmed Lori Chaves-DeRemer as Labor secretary. She is set to lead the Department of Labor amid major cutbacks.
- Ambassador to the United Nations is the final Cabinet position yet to be confirmed. Elise Stefanik has been nominated for the position.
- Stefanik’s confirmation is being delayed due to the narrow Republican majority in House.
The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Lori Chavez-DeRemer as President Donald Trump’s Labor secretary, and now 21 out of his 22 Cabinet picks have been confirmed. Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to serve as ambassador to the United Nations is the only Cabinet-level position yet to be confirmed.
Chavez-DeRemer was confirmed in the Senate by a vote of 67-32. There were more than a dozen Democratic senators who joined Republicans in backing the former congresswoman, according to Politico. Her nomination was supported by labor union leaders and business groups.
According to The New York Times, even though there was early resistance from senators on both sides of the aisle, Trump’s nominees for this term have been confirmed faster than his picks in his first term and faster than former President Joe Biden’s nominees.
Chavez-DeRemer will take charge of the Department of Labor as the Trump administration is looking to make major cutbacks at the agency, per Politico. These cuts are part of the sweeping changes across the government as the White House is working on cutting the bureaucracy and regulatory agencies.
Delay in Elisa Stefanik’s confirmation
Trump’s pick for U.N. ambassador, Stefanik, still hasn’t been confirmed by the Senate. According to NBC, her confirmation is being slow-walked due to the slim majority Republicans hold in the House of Representatives.
Stefanik represents New York in Congress, and with her still in her seat, Republicans have a slim three-vote margin over Democrats. The hearing is being delayed because Republicans cannot afford to lose another vote, especially with the looming government shutdown, per The New York Times.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said that Republicans are following the lead from the White House on the timing of the confirmation hearing. He added that he believes Stefanik’s confirmation is being held back because the White House is mindful of the fragile political dynamic in the House.
“I had 220 Republicans and 215 Democrats, and then President Trump began to cull the herd,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said, according to The New York Times. “We have a one-vote margin now — smallest in history, right? So for a big chunk of the first 100 days of the Congress, and perhaps beyond, this is not an easy task, but we’re going to get it done.”
Confirmed cabinet positions
So far, here are the members of Trump’s Cabinet:
- Secretary of State — Marco Rubio
- Labor Secretary — Lori Chavez-DeRemer
- Education Secretary — Linda McMahon
- Commerce Secretary — Howard Lutnick
- Health and Human Services Secretary — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Treasury Secretary — Scott Bessent
- Homeland Security Secretary — Kristi Noem
- Defense Secretary — Pete Hegseth
- C.I.A. Director — John Ratcliffe
- Agriculture Secretary — Brooke Rollins
- Director of National Intelligence — Tulsi Gabbard
- Housing and Urban Development Secretary — Scott Turner
- Attorney General — Pam Bondi
- Veteran Affairs Secretary — Doug Collins
- Energy Secretary — Chris Wright
- Interior Secretary — Doug Burgum
- Transportation Secretary — Sean Duffy
- U.S. trade representative — Jamieson Greer
- SBA administrator — Kelly Loeffler
- Director of the Office of Management and Budget — Russell T. Vought
- EPA Administrator — Lee Zeldin
