For those who haven't been keeping track, scandal, charges of incompetency, and sudden resignations will soon leave Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack as the only two remaining secretaries who have been in the Obama administration since his inauguration in 2009.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel most recently made a vacancy in the administration's cabinet with his resignation, and Attorney General Eric Holder, who has been with the administration since day one, will officially step down when a replacement is named.
Though it is rare for cabinet secretaries to hold their posts for two full terms, Duncan and Vilsack both have excellent relationships with the president. Duncan has known Obama for years (he served as chief of city schools in Chicago) and the two frequently play basketball together. Vilsack shares a love of sports with the president, and the two are known to engage, as all best friends do, "in deep, detailed discussions of agricultural policy."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
