Trump to nominate Chad Wolf as secretary of Homeland Security

President Trump will nominate Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, to fill the role permanently. Trump tweeted his intentions early Tuesday afternoon.

Wolf has been leading the agency on an acting basis since the resignation of Kevin McAleenan, who left in November 2019. The department has not has a Senate-confirmed leader since April 2019, when Kirstjen Nielsen resigned. It is the longest secretary-level vacancy in U.S. history.

Wolf has gained favor with the president, defending the administration and the department's actions during recent waves of violence across the country. The president has recently come under fire for maintaining a large number of acting officials throughout his administration, specifically at DHS, where acting officers run all three of its immigration agencies.