Trump’s Cabinet Confirmations Near End, But We Still Have Work to Do
04.28.17
With the confirmation of Sonny Perdue to lead the Department of Agriculture and Alexander Acosta as Secretary of Labor, the fight over Trump’s cabinet appointments nears its end. Since Trump’s Inauguration almost one hundred days ago, he’s proceeded to fill some of the most important seats in government with the wealthiest group of Americans in history.
Trump’s corporate backers took notice – and took advantage of this administration’s openness to influence: Koch Industries lobbied hard to help confirm Scott Pruitt as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Nestle lobbied for the nomination of Sonny Perdue. Meanwhile, Trump’s Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is the former CEO of ExxonMobil; the Secretary of Treasury; Steve Mnuchin, is a former executive at Goldman Sachs; and Rick Perry, the Secretary of Energy, formerly sat on the board of Energy Transfer Partners (the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline) and has received millions of dollars in contributions from the oil and gas industry.
Trump still has hundreds of key positions that still require Senate confirmation, and thousands of other political appointments that don’t require congressional approval still need to be filled. But so far, Trump’s cabinet is one of the most corporate-friendly in our country’s history – and we have a lot of work to do if we want to make sure our government looks out for people rather than its bottom line.
We knew after the election that we had a long, hard fight in front of us, and with his cabinet nearly filled, Trump and his administration will start looking to enact policies that are sure to prioritize profit rather than public health. But we’re working every day at the local and state level to make sure we’re building the power we need to keep our families and our environment safe. And we’ll need your help as we move forward to fight corporate greed at the highest levels of our government.
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