Cabinet Tracker

Monday - 11/12/2012, 2:27pm EST

LAST UPDATED: MAY 21, 2013

President Barack Obama may be staying put for four more years, but many of the top officials he appointed to agency posts are eyeing the exits.

Federal News Radio's Cabinet Tracker will follow the comings and goings of the leaders in his Cabinet (and other high-level presidential appointees) heading into Obama's second term.

Find out who's staying, who's leaving and who has yet to announce their plans. Federal News Radio will continuously update the Cabinet Tracker.

Agriculture | Air Force | CIA | CMS | Commerce | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | Defense | Education | Energy | EPA | FAA | FCC | Federal Chief Information Officer | Federal Chief Technology Officer | FHFA | GSA | HHS | DHS | HUD | Interior | IRS | Justice | Labor | NOAA | Office of Federal Procurement Policy | OMB | OPM | PTO | SBA | SEC | Secret Service | SSA | State | Transportation | Treasury | Veterans Affairs

Agriculture Department


Tom Vilsack		 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will keep his job in President Obama's second term. A USDA spokesman said the President asked Vilsack to stay on and Vilsack accepted.

Air Force


Michael Donley		 Air Force Secretary Michael Donley will step down in June after nearly five years on the job, the Air Force announced. Donley, whose last day with the service will be June 21, is the longest serving secretary in Air Force history.

CIA


John Brennan		 The Senate confirmed John Brennan as the next director of the CIA on March 7, 2013. Previously, Brennan served as the Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. Former CIA Director David Petraeus resigned unexpectedly Nov. 9 in the wake of public disclosures of an extramarital affair.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services


Marilyn Tavenner		 By an overwhelming 91-7 vote, the Senate confirmed Marilyn Tavenner, a former nurse, to oversee the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Part of the Department of Health and Human Services, CMS has a $850 billion budget. Tavenner was named the acting commissioner in December 2011, after Senate Republicans blocked President Obama's previous nominee, Don Berwick.

Commerce Department


Rebecca Blank		 President Obama nominated Chicago business woman and 2008 campaign fundraiser Penny Pritzker as the next secretary of Commerce. If confirmed, Pritzker would replace Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank, who is leaving the administration to serve as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Penny Pritzker

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau


Richard Cordray		 Obama nominated Richard Cordray to stay on as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The President used a recess appointment last year to bypass Congress, which expires at the end of the year.

Defense Department


Chuck Hagel		 The Senate confirmed former Republican Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel to head the Pentagon. Hagel succeeds Leon Panetta.

Education Department














Arne Duncan		 An Education Department official says Secretary Arne Duncan will remain in President Obama's Cabinet into a second term.

Energy Department


Steven Chu		 The Senate confirmed President Obama's choice to head up the Energy Department, MIT physicist Ernest Moniz. He takes over for departing Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who had served as head of the department since 2009.
Ernest Moniz

Environmental Protection Agency


Lisa Jackson		 President Obama nominated Gina McCarthy, assistant EPA administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation to succeed Lisa Jackson, who has served as administrator since 2009.
Gina McCarthy

FCC

President Obama nominated Tom Wheeler, former head of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, and the National Cable Television Association, to be the next head of the Federal Communications Commission. Current FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced in March he would step down after a four-year tenure at the agency.

Federal Aviation Administration


Michael Huerta		 On Jan. 1, the Senate confirmed Michael Huerta to lead the Federal Aviation Administration. Huerta had served as acting administrator since December 2011 when Randy Babbitt resigned following a drunken driving arrest. (A judge later threw out the arrest.)

Federal Chief Information Officer


Steven VanRoekel		 Steven VanRoekel was named the federal chief information officer in August 2011. He ended speculation about his future in Obama's second term by tweeting: "Those who asked if I am staying with the Administration - four words - 2 Legit 2 Quit" on Nov. 9.

Federal Chief Technology Officer


Todd Park		 Todd Park, who has only held the top White House tech post since March, is expected to stay on. Federal IT insiders say they're not hearing much chatter that either Park or VanRoekel are preparing an exit, according to Nextgov.

Federal Housing Finance Agency


Edward Demarco		 President Obama tapped Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.) to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency. In that capacity, Watt will oversee government-controlled mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Watt will succeed acting FHFA director Edward DeMarco.
Mel Watt

General Services Administration


Dan Tangherlini		 Tangherlini was named acting director of the General Services Administration in April following the abrupt resignation of Martha Johnson after agency investigators uncovered evidence of wasteful spending. He has not made his plans known and there has been little speculation about possible replacements.

Health and Human Services Department


Kathleen Sebelius		 White House officials confirmed in January that Sebelius would stay on for Obama's second term. Because the health care law's major provisions don't take effect until 2014 and getting Senate confirmation of a successor would likely be difficult, Sebelius was expected to stay.

Homeland Security Department














Janet Napolitano		 A DHS official confirmed to Federal News Radio that Napolitano would stay for President Obama's second term.

Housing and Urban Development


Shaun Donovan		 Donovan hasn't provided many hints one way or the other about whether he'll stay in his post. In an appearance on C-SPAN in October, Donovan said: "I anticipate being able to make that decision when he's re- elected." National Journal reported that most Washington watchers expect Donovan to stay on.

Interior Department

Sally Jewell		 President Barack Obama nominated Sally Jewell, the president and CEO of outdoors company Recreational Equipment, Inc., (REI), to be the secretary of the Interior Department. The Senate confirmed Jewell April 10.

Internal Revenue Service


Danny Werfel		 President Obama appointed Office of Management and Budget Controller Daniel Werfel to serve as acting IRS commissioner. This came about when former acting Commissioner Steven Miller resigned following a report issued by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) found the IRS improperly singled out conservative groups for special scrutiny.

Justice Department














Eric Holder		 Despite much speculation, Attorney General Eric Holder will stay on for Obama's second term, according to White House officials.

Labor Department













Hilda Solis		 Solis announced her resignation Jan. 9. She had been widely expected to stay on. President Obama nominated Justice Department civil rights official Thomas Perez to be the next Labor secretary. Senate Democrats have postponed Perez's confirmation vote until May 8.
Thomas Perez

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration














Jane Lubchenco		 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrator Jane Lubchenco announced in an email to NOAA employees she would step down in February.

Possible Replacements:

  • Terry Garcia, former NOAA official and president of the National Geographic Society

  • Frances Ullmer, former lieutenant governor of Alaska

  • Andrew Rosenberg, former head of the National Marine Fisheries Service in the Clinton administration

Office of Federal Procurement Policy


Joe Jordan 		Obama nominated Jordan, a former SBA official, to fill the vacancy left by Dan Gordon. The Senate confirmed Jordan in May 2012. Since Jordan has only recently taken over the role, it seems unlikely he would step down in the near future.

Office of Management and Budget

Sylvia Mathews Burwell		 The Senate confirmed Sylvia Mathews Burwell to run the Office of Management and Budget by a 96-0 vote. Burwell is the former deputy budget director and president of the Walmart Foundation. Jeff Zients, who had been serving as acting director, will return to his deputy director for management role.

Office of Personnel Management


John Berry		 John Berry stepped down as head of the Office of Personnel Management when his term expired April 14. Elaine Kaplan, OPM's general counsel, will serve as acting director.

Patent and Trademark Office


David Kappos 		Kappos announced to PTO employees he would stay on through January 2013 and then step down. He led the agency since 2009 and helped oversee implementation of a major congressional overhaul of patent law. The Wall Street Journal reported that Teresa Stanek Rea, the office's deputy director, will take over after he steps down. No word yet on a permanent successor.

Small Business Administration


Karen Mills		 Small Business Administration head Karen Mills announced she would step down after a successor is named. No word yet on a possible replacement.

Securities and Exchange Commission

Mary Jo White		 The Senate confirmed Mary Jo White's nomination to serve as the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission April 8. White, a former U.S. attorney, replaces Mary Schapiro, who left the agency in December.

Secret Service














Julia Pierson 		President Obama named veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson to be the agency's first female director.

Pierson was most recently the Secret Service's chief of staff. She will succeed Mark Sullivan, who announced that he was stepping down in February.

Pierson's appointment does not require Senate approval.

Social Security Administration


Michael Astrue		 Michael Astrue, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in February 2007, will step down Jan. 19, when his six-year term expires. The White House hasn't made indications of a possible replacement yet.

Possible Replacements:

  • Nancy Altman, who serves on two Social Security advocacy organizations, has been floated as a possible replacement.

State Department


John Kerry		 After being confirmed by the Senate, former Massachusetts Democratic Senator John Kerry took over as Secretary of State on Feb. 4, 2013.

Transportation Department














Ray LaHood		 President Obama nominated Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx to succeed Ray LaHood.
Anthony Foxx

Treasury Department


Jack Lew		 Jack Lew was confirmed as the next Treasury Secretary on Feb. 20, 2013. Lew takes over for Tim Geithner who had served as Treasury secretary since 2009. Lew previously served as White House Chief of Staff and as budget director.

Veterans Affairs Department














Eric Shinseki		 The White House confirmed that Shinseki would stay on for the second term.

RELATED STORIES:

Who will stay and who will go in Obama's second term?

Changes coming to key congressional committees despite status-quo election

Tags: Election 2012, Hillary Clinton, Leon Panetta, Shaun Donovan, Hilda Solis, Todd Park, Steven VanRoekel, Jeff Zients, Tim Geithner, Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano