Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation may have come as a surprise, but it’s part of a pattern for the Trump administration. Replacing Cabinet secretaries has become a feature, not a bug, of this White House.
And it means that after Nielsen leaves her post later this week, three of the president’s Cabinet members will be serving in an acting capacity.
Kevin McAleenan was named acting secretary of homeland security to replace Nielsen. Patrick Shanahan has been acting defense secretary since Jan. 1. And David Bernhardt has been acting interior secretary since Jan. 2, though he has been nominated to become the permanent interior secretary.
Trump sees an advantage in their status.
“I like ‘acting’ because I can move so quickly,” he told CBS’ Face The Nation in February, adding, “It gives me more flexibility.”
The lack of permanence at the top of these departments means “we don’t have established leaders in really important places in our government,” says Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.
Stier compares the acting directors to substitute teachers.
“They might be amazing educators or amazing leaders in their own right,” Stier says, “but they’re not set out for success. They’re not going to be perceived as having complete and full authority by those that are around them.”
And it’s a crucial issue, he says, because “these are jobs that are fundamental to keeping us all safe.”
Get More Info – https://www.npr.org/2019/04/09/711094554/an-acting-government-for-the-trump-administration
