Affordable Virginia Condemns Trump’s Cabinet Appointments and Nominations as Favoring Corporate Interests Over Working Virginians
Virginia Beach, VA – Affordable Virginia criticizes recent cabinet appointments and nominations by President-Elect Donald Trump as evidence of Republicans’ ongoing prioritization of the ultra-wealthy over everyday Virginians. These nominees and appointees come with deep ties to advancing policy agendas that will continue to benefit the ultra-wealthy and corporations over the needs and protections of working Virginians.
“President-Elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks are a clear sign of where his priorities lie: filling the pockets of his wealthy friends at the expense of working families,” said Emily Yeatts, Affordable Virginia Campaign Director. “By stacking his administration with corporate elites and television personalities, he is ensuring that the protections and needs of working Virginians are pushed aside for policies that favor billionaires. His reckless appointments will also be detrimental to the overall functions of the federal government, where he has promised to eliminate many civil servant positions. Over 144,000 Virginians work for the federal government and his picks and policies put their livelihoods at risk.”
President-Elect Trump has made several cabinet nominations and appointments with deep corporate ties. Here’s the facts:
Oil industry CEO Chris Wright has been selected to run the Department of Energy. His company would directly benefit from increased oil and gas extraction. With Wright at the helm, the Trump Administration has promised to claw back efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, which are contributing to extreme weather throughout America and especially coastal Virginia.
Fox News personality Sean Duffy has been selected to run the Department of Transportation. He has no substantive experience in transportation policy. Under his leadership, the Trump Administration has vowed to reverse vehicle emissions standards and cut electric vehicle tax credits, which would benefit large fossil fuel companies.
Anti-vaccine zealot Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been selected to run the Department of Health and Human Services. He is widely known for spreading vaccine misinformation and has no substantive experience in health care policy. This year alone, RFK Jr. has spread misinformation about fluoride in our water supply and said he’d give drug development and infectious disease research a “break” for eight years. His appointment threatens to undermine public health policies that working families rely on while allowing RFK Jr. to leverage his family name and privilege to amplify his conspiracy theories.
Trump-Loyalist Doug Collins has been selected to run the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Collins is a longtime Trump advocate, having campaigned heavily for him for his first term and was selected despite limited experience in veteran’s policy. He has said he will deregulate the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, which would benefit private healthcare providers looking to profit, instead of strengthening the VA's public services for veterans.