Washington — President Trump is holding his first Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, with his Cabinet nominees largely confirmed.
Billionaire and senior Trump adviser Elon Musk, who is not a Cabinet member, will also be present, the White House confirmed Monday. Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social Wednesday that “ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON. The Media will see that at the Cabinet Meeting this morning!!!”
That declaration comes as Musk is looking to slash federal departments and agencies. He has said federal employees must respond to an email by describing five things they accomplished last week or face termination, clashing with directives from some Senate-confirmed agency heads and sparking confusion among federal workers. Multiple heads of departments told their employees that they could ignore the demand from the Office of Personnel Management.
Most, but not all, of Mr. Trump’s top nominees have been confirmed by the Senate. A full Senate vote has yet to be scheduled for Rep. Elise Stefanik, his pick to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, as House Republicans cannot afford to lose a vote given their razor-thin majority. Linda McMahon, Mr. Trump’s pick to run the Department of Education, also has yet to be confirmed by the Senate. Mr. Trump has pledged to overhaul that department.
The president’s nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer for secretary of labor is still in limbo, with no vote scheduled yet. And the Senate has yet to confirm Jamieson Greer as U.S. trade representative, although the Senate advanced his nomination this week, as the president imposes hefty new tariffs on allies and adversaries alike.
