In just a few weeks, President-Elect Trump will be inaugurated into office and his proposed Administration will take over the Obama Administration swiftly. As much as President Obama wanted to ensure a peaceful transition of power, many of Trump's picks for cabinet positions leave politicians and average citizens alike worried about the future of the country. Despite the fact that we all want to enter 2017 hopeful for the future of the country and ourselves, some of the people entering the Country's Administration are worrisome.
For Secretary of State, Trump has proposed ExxonMobil Chief Executive Rex Tilerson. First off, Tiilerson has no experience in the Public Sector. His stake in ExxonMobil and his status as a billionaire are concerns when it comes to this position as Secretary of State. His alleged friendship with Vladimir Putin also has him under scrutiny. His positions on many political issues are foggy and largely unknown; his qualifications for the job as Secretary of State are debatable, but the main concern is whether he will serve the American people and not his business interests.
For Energy Secretary, Trump has proposed former Texas Governor Rick Perry. When running for President himself, Rick Perry proposed scrapping the energy department. Perry has most knowledge and expertise in fossil fuels, and it is unclear how this expertise will translate in the Energy Department. He is also skeptical of climate change, which is alarming to a majority of the country as well as 99% of scientists.
This leads to Scott Pruit, the proposed head of the E.P.A. Not only is he a climate change denier, but he supports ending the agreement with the Paris Accords and expanding the country's use of coal. This is disastrous for the environment, the country, and the justice of people across the globe. Perpetuating climate change is going to worsen the changes in global weather patterns, exacerbating natural disasters. It is going to cause more and more living plants, animals, and microorganisms to go extinct. It is going to be disastrous if the United States increases our impact on Climate Change.
Next is Linda McMahon, former CEO of WWE, as Trump's pick for Small Business Administrator. She has experience in business: a huge-multi-billion-dollar business. At least she has business experience; hopefully she keeps the interests of small businesses in mind.
Trump has also picked Ben Carson for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. After running for President, Carson was noted saying he did not want to work in the government. This nomination just doesn't make any sense. Paul Ryan tweeted that Carson was a great pick because of his accomplishment of "overcoming poverty." Carson has no experience in policy that could aid him in this position.
For Attorney General, Trump has picked Senator Jeff Sessions. In 1986, his nomination for federal judgeship was denied because of racially charged comments and actions. He has opposed nearly every immigration bill proposed in the Senate and advocated for slowing the pace of new arrivals. He voted against an amendment banning cruel and inhuman treatment of prisoners, is skeptical of climate change, and has been accused of racism throughout his political career. While more qualified than some of Trump's other picks, his spot as Attorney General is concerning.
Trump's Chief Strategist has been named: Steve Bannon, Chairman of Breitbart News, a far-right news website called a “white ethno-nationalist propaganda mill." His position in Trump's cabinet is representative of the hate spread by the Trump Campaign during the election. A proponent of the alt-right, Steve Bannon is bad news for the White House. In a campaign fueled by hate and fear, there may be a lot more of that in store for the future.
In addition to some of his questionable cabinet picks, Trump refuses briefings. He has said he does not need the presidential intelligence briefing every day, as his Vice-President-Elect can receive them, and he only needs to be notified if things change. The future president refusing intelligence briefings is terrifying in part because it appears he does not take this job seriously and he takes for granted how difficult the job of president really is.
How this administration will handle the transfer of power is very concerning. While Obama wants a peaceful transition of power, transferring from the experienced cabinet members to the ones Trump is appointing may be rough. Hopefully the Senate does not guarantee all of Trump's picks the position, and the Democrats still holding office fight for the people of the United States so that these questionable cabinet picks do not lead the nation down a darker path.
