US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen several Catholics to serve in his Cabinet and other areas of his government, including environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Elise Stefanik.
The 45th president, and soon 47th president of the United States, made more than a dozen announcements in the first 10 days following his election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. However, many of his nominees for cabinet and other government officials have yet to be announced.
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Among the Catholics chosen for his cabinet are Kennedy, who was nominated as secretary of Health and Human Services; Rubio as Secretary of State; Stefanik as ambassador to the United Nations; and John Ratcliffe, nominated as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). These four Cabinet positions require Senate confirmation.
Trump also announced that he will appoint Tom Homan as “Border Czar,” a position that does not require Senate confirmation. Homan is Catholic and was previously director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the president-elect’s first administration.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and son of former Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, was nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees 10 agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the food industry and pharmaceutical companies that have engaged in deception and misinformation when it comes to public health,” Trump said in his announcement.
He added that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “will play an important role in ensuring that everyone is protected from harmful chemicals, contaminants, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis.” in the country.”
Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat before running as an independent candidate for the US presidency in the 2024 election, dropped out of the race in August and endorsed Trump after the former president promised him a health-related position. He is Catholic and attributes “a profound spiritual enlightenment” to his recovery from drug addiction in his youth. However, it deviates from the Church’s teachings in the defense of life by supporting legal abortion.
Kennedy has been critical of the childhood vaccination schedule. He has said he would not “take vaccines away from anyone” as secretary of Health and Human Services, but would promote more research into side effects. He has been a constant critic of big pharmaceutical companies influencing regulations and the impact that processed foods have on health.
“I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 HHS employees to free agencies from the suffocating corporate cloud so they can fulfill their mission of making Americans the healthiest people on Earth,” Kennedy said in a statement.
Marco Rubio
Trump nominated Rubio, a former rival for the presidency, as secretary of state.
“Marco is a highly respected leader and a very powerful voice for freedom,” said a statement from Trump’s transition team. “He will be a strong defender of our nation, a true friend to our allies and a brave warrior who will never back down from our adversaries.”
Rubio has been a senator from Florida since 2011 and was previously a member of the Florida House of Representatives. His parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba.
He was raised Catholic from an early age, but his family began attending a Mormon church during his childhood before returning to Catholicism. Although the senator is Catholic, he sometimes attends a Baptist church with his wife.
“As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out (Trump’s) foreign policy agenda,” Rubio said in a statement after the announcement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we will deliver peace through strength and will always put the interests of the American people and America above all.”
Rubio has historically supported a hawkish foreign policy, which at times conflicts with the campaign rhetoric of Trump, who is skeptical of U.S. involvement in foreign wars. However, in recent years, he has moved closer to Trump’s vision on foreign policy. He initially favored the United States helping Ukraine, but voted against the latest collaboration bill.
Elise Stefanik
The president-elect nominated Stefanik to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, a position that primarily represents American interests in the international organization.
“(Stefanik) was the first member of Congress to support me and has always been a steadfast supporter,” Trump said in a statement. “(She) led the fight against anti-Semitism on college campuses. “She will be an incredible ambassador to the United Nations, delivering peace through strength and ‘America First’ national security policies.”
Stefanik is the chair of the House Republican Conference, making her the fourth-ranking Republican in the chamber. She will be replaced in this position by Representative Lisa McClain.
Stefanik is a strong supporter of Israeli military action in the Palestinian Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon. She is Catholic, is against abortion, but supports same-sex marriage.
“The work ahead of us is immense as we watch anti-Semitism soar alongside four years of catastrophically weak American leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing with allies and adversaries alike,” Stefanik said in a statement. .
“I stand ready to advance the restoration of peace through President Donald J. Trump’s ‘America First’ strength and leadership on the world stage from day one at the United Nations,” she said.
Stefanik, like Rubio, has historically been more hawkish on foreign policy, but has moved closer to Trump’s views in recent times. He initially supported American aid to Ukraine, but later opposed it. He has also previously supported Ukraine’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
John Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe briefly served as director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and is a former congressman. He will now head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
“From exposing bogus Russian collusion as a Clinton campaign operation to uncovering the FBI’s abuse of civil liberties in FISA court, John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for truth and honesty with the American people.” Trump said in a statement. “When 51 intelligence officials were lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop, there was one, John Ratcliffe, telling the truth to the American people.”
Like Rubio and Stefanik, Ratcliffe has also historically been a warmonger. He has been highly critical of Chinese and Iranian officials. He has criticized Joe Biden’s administration for not providing more intelligence and military aid to Israel.
Translated and adapted by ACI Prensa. Originally published in CNA.
Tyler Arnold
Tyler Arnold is a reporter for the National Catholic Register. He previously worked at The Center Square and has published in a variety of outlets, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative, and The Federalist.