While President Obama prepares to tackle the looming fiscal showdown with Congress and fine tune his policy objectives for his second term, he must also prepare to retool his Cabinet and his core White House team.
The Obama administration has had one of the lowest Cabinet turnover rates in history. But as with most second-term presidents, a number of Cabinet-level officials and those with Cabinet rank, have already announced or indicated their intent to leave as President Obama begins his second term.
Among them are Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, who has announced his intent to leave and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who until recently, was also on record as having decided to serve only one term.
Meanwhile, the departures of Attorney General Eric Holder, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson are now seen as increasingly likely. Rumors are also circulating that Jack Lew will also resign his post as White House Chief of Staff for the President’s second term, according to senior analysts at Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates, a public policy and lobbying firm has been following the revolving doors of Washington since 1981.
Add to that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s recent announcement that he will not stay on when his current term ends in 2014, along with likely changes within the Office of Management and Budget, and its easy to see that President Obama and his advisors will have their hands full lining up suitable replacements that will pass muster with Congress.
While the circumstances unfolding around the unexpected resignation of CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus has drawn attention away from the expected executive shuffle in the White House, Wexler & Walker have assembled a list some of the most likely candidates to keep an eye on.
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Potential Appointees | ||
White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew (could move to another post) |
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (previously announced departure) |
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Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner (expected departure) |
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Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (expected to stay through 2014) |
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Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar |
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Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack |
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Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Black (acting) |
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Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis (expected to stay) |
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Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius (has indicated she would like to stay on until Affordable Care Act is implemented) |
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Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan (expected to stay) |
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Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (likely to stay) |
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Secretary of Energy Steven Chu (speculated departure) |
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Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (expected to stay) |
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Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki (Has not indicated if he’ll stay on) |
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Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano (speculated departure) |
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Officials with Cabinet-ranking | |||
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson (speculation of departure) |
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Office of Management and the Budget Jeffrey Zients (acting) |
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U.S. Trade Representative Ronald Kirk (could move into new position) |
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Small Business Administration Karen G. Mills |
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Key White House & Independent Agency Officials | |||
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski |
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National Economic Council Chairman Gene Sperling (could move to USTR) |
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Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (expected to leave at end of term {2014}) |
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National Security Adviser Tom Donilon (could become Secretary of State) |
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