JACKSON, Miss.- Donald Trump’s cabinet is growing again with his announced intention to name General James Mattis as the next Secretary of Defense.
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, reacted to the news of Gen. Mattis’ appointment.
“I am pleased that the President-elect has chosen this legendary Marine to lead the Pentagon. Gen. Mattis is one of our nation’s leading military strategists and for good reason: He understands where military strategy and foreign policy intersect. I have always appreciated his candor and honesty during his many appearances before the Armed Services Committee. I look forward to meeting with Gen. Mattis to discuss the threats facing our country, and will work to ensure that he is confirmed by the Senate.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominations of Betsy DeVos as the new Secretary of Education and Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) have elicited similar responses from the Magnolia state.
Betsy Devos is a billionaire and educational activist from Michigan who married Dick DeVos, an heir to the Amway fortune, in the 1980s.
Grant Callen is with the organization Empower Mississippi, which supports the creation of charter schools, said Trump could not have made a better choice.
“Mrs. Devos has a long track record of supporting education options for kids…Whether that’s traditional public schools, charter schools, private school choice and vouchers and ESAs or home-schooling,” said Callen.
The Secretary is responsible for the overall direction, supervision, and coordination of all activities of the Department and is the principal adviser to the President on Federal policies, programs and activities related to education in the United States
Price, who was born and raised in Michigan before moving to Georgia, is a physician and longtime politician having represented the state of Georgia in either the State House or as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995.
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss) said Price was the right choice for the job.
“President-elect Trump could not have made a better choice for HHS Secretary. He is a distinguished public servant and uniquely qualified to lead the department. As an orthopedic surgeon, he has an intimate understanding of our nation’s health-care system. I enthusiastically support his nomination. I look forward to working with him to repeal Obamacare and replacing it with market-driven policies to lower costs and increase access to quality care” said, Mississippi U.S. Senator Rodger Wicker.
Price is currently the chair of the House Budget Committee.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the U.S. government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.
Both candidates will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before they are allowed to assume their duties in the Cabinet of the United States.
