The Folks Expected to Stay for a Second Term
- Attorney General. Eric Holder plans is staying, a White House official tells National Journal.
- Council of Economic Advisers Chairman. Alan Krueger has only been in the position since Nov. 2011, and some insiders believe he will stick around into Obama’s second term.
- Director of National Intelligence. James Clapper told colleagues last month that he plans to stay on as director.
- Education Secretary. Arne Duncan told National Journal he plans to stay on for a second term.
- Health and Human Services Secretary. Kathleen Sebelius is expected to stay on for another term, a White House official says.
- Housing and Urban Development Secretary. The Wall Street Journal reports that Shaun Donovan is staying on for a second term. This fall, Donovan said he was “very, very happy with the work” he’s doing.
- National Security Adviser. Tom Donilon is expected stay on, at least into the beginning of the next term.
- Veteran Affairs Secretary. Eric Shinseki is staying, according to a White House official.
The Maybe
- Agriculture Secretary. Tom Vilsack could stick around to help implement Obama’s “detailed plan” for the rural economy. But he may also be replaced by someone with closer ties to Capitol Hill — someone like former Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Kent Conrad of North Dakota, or current Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana and the chamber’s only working farmer.
The Nominees
- Central Intelligence Agency Director. President Obama has nominated his top counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to fill the post. Brennan’s nomination may spur a debate about Obama’s counterterrorism tactics, including the use of drones. But his path to the CIA is easier than it was four years ago, when Brennan was a candidate for the same job, National Journal reports.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director. Obama re-nominated CFPB Director Richard Cordray for the job, setting up a contentious confirmation process in which the structure and budget of his agency is likely to be questioned once more.
- Defense Secretary. Obama nominated Chuck Hagel, a two-term Republican former senator from Nebraska, to head the Defense Department. Although he’s widely perceived as qualified for the job, Hagel is expected to face a rocky road to confirmation, with controversies over everything from his stance on Israel to gay rights.
- Secretary of State. Massachusetts' Democratic Sen. John Kerry won the nomination for this position in December. He is not expected to face a tough confirmation fight in the Senate.
- Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman. Obama nominated tough-as-nails former prosecutor Mary Jo White to fill the post.
- Treasury Secretary. President Obama nominated White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew to replace Tim Geithner in the post. The selection of Lew, who has lots of experience in Washington budget battles, is thought to signal the president's intention to focus on fiscal issues in the coming years.
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