Here are the New York politicos in line for Trump admin jobs

Since Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, he’s started announcing picks for who he wants to fill his Cabinet and to occupy other senior positions during his second term. While that process is ongoing – as is the confirmation process for those who’ve been nominated – Trump has already selected a handful of fellow New Yorkers to join him, rewarding some of his most loyal supporters with prestigious positions. But his return to the White House also means a number of New Yorkers currently serving in the Biden administration have found themselves out of a job.

To keep you up to date, here’s a tracker on who is out and who is in. This story was last updated on Feb. 7.

WHO IS IN 

Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.N. ambassador: Trump nominated the North Country Republican to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Nov. 11, opening the door for a special election in the 21st Congressional District within 90 days of her eventual departure. While Stefanik was first elected to the House as a moderate 10 years ago, she’s since evolved into one of Trump’s fiercest allies. Beyond serving in House national security committees, Stefanik would bring relatively little foreign policy or diplomatic experience to the role of U.N. ambassador. She has, however, made her ardent support for Israel very clear, even accusing the United Nations of antisemitism at various points. Stefanik has yet to be confirmed by the Senate as of Feb. 7.

Lee Zeldin as Environmental Protection Agency administrator: Two years after unsuccessfully running for governor, Zeldin is poised to return to government – this time as Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. The former Republican Congress member’s nomination on Nov. 11 came as a surprise to a number of environmental and conservation groups as he has relatively little climate and energy expertise. He backed Trump’s 2017 exit from the Paris climate agreement and has generally opposed Democrat-led legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and bolstering renewable energy. Addressing his nomination during a recent Fox News interview, Zeldin said his priorities would include “unleashing economic prosperity through the E.P.A.,” and pursuing “energy dominance.” The Senate confirmed Zeldin’s appointment on Jan. 29.

Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary and transition co-chair: Lutnick, chair and chief executive of financial service firm Cantor Fitzgerald, was tapped by Trump on Nov. 19 to serve as commerce secretary – one of the most powerful economic positions in the federal government. Lutnick, who lives in the Hamptons, raised over $75 million for Trump’s campaign – and that’s not including the $10 million he donated personally. He’s also currently the co-chair of Trump’s transition team. Lutnick has yet to be confirmed by the Senate as of Feb. 7.

Tom Homan as border czar: A former New York police officer, Homan’s appointment as “border czar” wasn’t much of a surprise – he’d served as Trump’s acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during his last administration. The position overseeing control of the southern and northern U.S. borders doesn’t require Senate confirmation. 

Jay Clayton as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York: Clayton, an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell and the former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term, will likely be the next U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. If confirmed by the Senate, Clayton would oversee the nation’s most powerful federal prosecutor’s office – a vital role for a president-elect who has vowed to seek revenge on those who prosecuted him in New York. Unlike a long line of SDNY U.S. attorneys, Clayton is not a former prosecutor. This isn’t the first time Trump has looked to appoint Clayton to helm SDNY. During his first term, Trump attempted to make Clayton U.S. attorney, but Geoffrey Berman – SDNY’s leader at the time – refused to step down until he was permitted to hand leadership to his deputy Audrey Strauss instead.

Scott Bessent as treasury secretary: While billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent was born in South Carolina and has deep roots to the South, he’s spent much of his life in New York City. He’s a Wall Street guy – the founder of investment firm Key Square Capital Management. Now he’s Trump’s pick for treasury secretary. It’s a powerful position that gives him sweeping oversight over the country’s economic plans. 

Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general: After defending Trump against multiple indictments, Blanche – a former supervising federal prosecutor in Manhattan – is slated to become the second most powerful person at the Department of Justice. Trump’s decision to select him as his deputy attorney general comes as a pretty significant rebuke against the department the president-elect has repeatedly attacked and accused of unfairly targeting him. 

Frank Bisignano as social security administration commissioner: Trump tapped Bisignano, a banking executive, to lead the Social Security Administration, which oversees over 1,200 offices and nearly 60,000 employees. Born in New York City, Bisignano has worked in prominent positions at a number of major Wall Street banks. He’s currently the chair of payment processing company Fiserv.

Dan Scavino as White House deputy chief of staff: Scavino grew up in Yorktown Heights and attended the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. A Trump loyalist who met the president-elect as a 16-year-old golf caddie, Scavino’s appointment as deputy chief of staff didn’t come as much of a surprise. He has been connected to Trump professionally since his first presidential campaign, serving as director of social media and went on to become a top communications aide under his administration. Most recently, he was a senior adviser on Trump’s reelection campaign. 

Rep. Brandon Williams as undersecretary for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration: The upstate one-term Congress member from Central New York may have lost his reelection bid to John Mannion, but he won’t be leaving politics yet. Trump announced Jan. 16 that he appointed Williams to be the undersecretary for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Secretary Administration. It’s not labor secretary – a position Williams had hoped to land – but his work in the Department of Energy will give him oversight over the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile and nuclear propulsion for the U.S. Navy. 

Steven Witkoff as special envoy to the Middle East: Witkoff is Trump’s chief Middle East negotiator who played a role in securing the Hamas-Israeli cease-fire before Trump took office, despite having little to no prior diplomatic experience. He’s a billionaire Jewish real estate investor who has known Trump for a long time. The two are friends and often played golf together. While Witkoff has called Florida home in recent years, his ties to New York go way back. He was born in the Bronx, raised on Long Island, attended Hofstra University, and started his career in New York City real estate in the 1990s.  

Janette Nesheiwat as U.S. Surgeon General: Trump tapped Nesheiwat in late November to be the next surgeon general – a position known as “the nation’s doctor.” A native New Yorker, Nesheiwat most recently worked as one of five medical directors for CityMD, the network of urgent care centers throughout New York and New Jersey. Toward the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she frequently appeared on Fox News as a medical contributor. Nesheiwat has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.

Dave Weldon as Centers for Disease Control director: While Weldon’s probably best known as a former Florida Republican Congress member, he was born on Long Island and attended both Stony Brook University and the University at Buffalo School of Medicine. Most recently, he’s run a private medical practice in Florida. If confirmed by the Senate, he’d bring many views aligned with that of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Trump’s nominee for health and human services secretary – to the helm of the massive agency. 

Kash Patel as FBI director: Among the more controversial of Trump’s nominees, Patel was born in Garden City, New York and got a law degree at Pace University School of Law in 2005. Patel has never served as FBI agent and has voiced support for Jan. 6 rioters and said he plans to fire agents and bureau leaders. 

Caleb Vitello as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Born and raised in Buffalo, Vitello started his career with the Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City field office, which is a division within ICE. He’s worked for the agency for more than two decades, making him an unsurprising pick to lead as the Trump administration seeks to deport millions of immigrants. 

Bill White as ambassador to Belgium: White, the former president of the Intrepid Museum and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, was born in Point Lookout, New York. He’s a wealthy businessman who over the years has backed both Democrat and Republican candidates – though he and his husband have been strong Trump supporters going back to his first administration. Trump tapped White in mid-December to be his ambassador to Belgium.

Marc Molinaro as head of the Federal Transit Administration: While the White House has yet to formally announce the former one-term Republican Congress member’s nomination to helm the federal agency that supports the nation’s public transportation system, Trump recently offered him the job. Molinaro’s appointment could have sweeping ramifications for his home state. The Federal Transit Administration is responsible for distributing billions of dollars annually in grants for buses, subways, ferries and other public transit systems – New York City’s system being by far the biggest recipient. Molinaro would have a great deal of sway over the allocation of funding and he’s not the Metropolitan Transportation Agency’s biggest fan. For years, he’s accused the agency of mismanagement and he’s particularly opposed to Manhattan’s recently implemented congestion pricing program.

WHO IS OUT

Secretary of State Antony Blinken: Trump’s tapping of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio means  Blinken’s time helming the State Department has come to an end. Blinken, who was born in Yonkers and spent much of his childhood in New York City and Paris, has had a lengthy career in politics, holding senior foreign policy positions in two presidential administrations over the last two decades. On Nov. 14, Blinken promised a smooth transition to Trump’s team.

Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams: Trump’s desire to replace Williams with Clayton comes as Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor oversees several high-profile cases, including the ongoing public corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the sex trafficking case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. He stepped down in December.

Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg: Trump nominated conservative-lawyer and veteran Department of Transportation official  Steven Bradbury to replace Polly Trottenberg as deputy secretary of DOT. Before joining the Biden administration, she served as New York City’s transportation commissioner for seven years, leading the department through the COVID-19 pandemic and working to implement the city’s Vision Zero program to eliminate traffic fatalities. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Administrator for Region II Alicka Ampry-Samuel: With senators officially confirming Scott Turner, Trump’s nominee for secretary of housing and urban development, in early February, Ampry-Samuel is no longer the department’s regional administrator. The position is currently vacant. She oversaw HUD operations in New York and New Jersey between 2022 and the beginning of 2025. Prior to joining the federal government, she was a New York City Council member and a senior adviser at the New York City Housing Authority. 

Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Deanne Criswell: While Criswell began her emergency management career in Colorado, her last stint before joining the Biden administration was as commissioner of the New York City Emergency Department from 2019 to 2021. She stepped down when Trump was sworn into office. Cameron Hamilton took over Jan. 22 as acting administrator of FEMA.