President Joe Biden announced 23 acting agency heads after his inauguration, as his Cabinet nominees continue with their confirmation process.
Nearly all of Biden’s acting agency heads are career civil servants, according to White House officials.
Biden tapped David Pekoske as acting secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), who has served as the Transportation Security Administration’s seventh administrator since August 2017. His five year-term will expire in August 2022.
Rob Fairweather will temporarily lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who has served as the deputy associate director for OMB’s International Affairs Division, National Security Programs. Previously, Fairweather served as deputy associate director for Natural Resources at OMB from 2001 to 2010.
Biden chose Kathy McGettigan to lead the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), who has served as the chief management officer at OPM since 1991, according to her LinkedIn.
As for the Department of Defense (DoD), David Norquist will serve as acting secretary of defense. Norquist has served as deputy secretary of defense since 2019 and served as undersecretary of defense and chief financial officer since June 2017.
And for the General Services Administration (GSA), Biden has chosen Katy Kale. Kale previously served as GSA chief of staff and is also a former assistant to the president for management and administration under President Obama. Biden also recently appointed Kale to serve as deputy administrator.
