President-elect Donald Trump has named his choices for several deputy secretary positions, along with his choice for chief counsel for advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Association.
Trump announced the appointments in a series of posts on his Truth Social account Saturday, naming deputies to fill four positions.
Trump's picks are Paul Lawrence, deputy secretary of Veteran Affairs; Katharine MacGregor, deputy secretary of the Interior; David Fotouhi, deputy Environmental Protection Agency administrator; and James P. Danly, deputy secretary of Energy.
Trump wrote that Lawrence "was a great VA Under Secretary of Benefits in my First Term, implementing Legislation I signed to improve the GI Bill and Appeals Modernization."
"Paul also helped us drive the claims backlog to its LOWEST LEVEL in VA History," he added. Paul was previously a Partner at Ernst & Young, and the Public Sector Vice President of Kaiser Associates.
"He will work with our next VA Secretary, Doug Collins, to ensure our Hero Vets are taken care of, and treated with the respect they deserve, with thanks for the incredible sacrifices they have made for our Country."
MacGregor, meanwhile, served as deputy secretary of the Interior during Trump's first administration, he said.
"Katharine is currently Vice President of Environmental Services at NextEra Energy, Inc., and previously worked at the Department of the Interior during my first four years as President," Trump wrote. "She helped us in our quest to make our Nation Energy DOMINANT, and was also an integral part of the team that produced our Historic ‘Salute to America’ at the National Mall."
Fotouhi, Trump wrote, "worked at the EPA for the entirety of my First Term, concluding his service as EPA’s Acting General Counsel."
Trump added that Fotouhi, a partner at Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher LLP, "will work with our incredible EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, to advance pro Growth policies, unleash America’s Energy Dominance, and prioritize Clean Air, Clean Water, and Clean Soil for ALL Americans. David is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Harvard Law School."
Danly, Trump's pick for deputy Energy secretary, is "a retired U.S. Army Officer, who served for two tours in Iraq, where he earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart," the president-elect wrote.
"He served in my First Term as General Counsel, Commissioner, and Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where he won countless cases before the Federal Courts, and drove regulatory reform to ensure abundant and affordable energy for the American People," Trump added. "James earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Yale University, and his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School."
He also announced picking University of Chicago professor and economist Casey B. Mulligan as the chief counsel for advocacy at the Small Business Administration.
In his announcement about Mulligan, Trump said the economist is "a highly respected expert on the regulations that are crushing our Small Businesses."
"During my First Term, Casey was the Chief Economist of my Council of Economic Advisers where he helped craft the Economic policies that gave us the best Economy in American History," Trump wrote. "Casey will work with Kelly Loeffler, our Great Nominee for SBA Administrator, to make sure that we slash regulations, and empower Small Businesses to thrive like never before."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.