The DHS reportedly might have a new acting secretary lined up


The Department of Homeland Security has been in a constant state of flux ever since President Trump took over the White House in 2017, and now it's supposedly about to get its fifth chief.
Chad Wolf, the acting undersecretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security, is expected to serve as the acting head of the agency once outgoing acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan leaves his post in November, President Trump told reporters Friday evening, though it is unclear how formal the announcement was. Wolf is a former lobbyist who previously served as the chief of staff to former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
A White House official said Trump does not currently plan to name Wolf as the department's permanent chief, but there's a possibility he could stay on in the role for an extended amount of time.
Subscribe to 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.
The Washington Post described Wolf as a "mild-mannered, managerial figure," who emerged as the leading candidate for the job once Trump ran low on other options, most notably including immigration hardliner and acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli. The New York Times, though, reports that White House adviser Stephen Miller views Wolf as someone who can "reliably put into effect" the border policies he designed on Trump's behalf. Read more at The New York Times and The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Trump-Putin: would land swap deal end Ukraine war?
Today's Big Question Ukraine ready to make 'painful but acceptable' territorial concessions – but it still might not be enough for Vladimir Putin
-
The truth about sunscreen
The Explainer The science behind influencer claims that sun cream is toxic
-
Blue whales have gone silent and it's posing troubling questions
Under the radar Warming oceans are the answer
-
Unmaking Americans: Trump aims to revoke citizenship
Feature Trump is threatening to revoke the citizenship of foreign-born Americans. Could he do that?
-
Trump sends FBI to patrol DC, despite falling crime
Speed Read Washington, D.C., 'has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world,' Trump said
-
DHS preps for major ICE expansion, rankling local law enforcement
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the Trump administration positions ICE as the primary federal police force, its recruitment efforts have been met with a less-than-enthusiastic response
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monuments
Speed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seat
speed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring push
Speed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additions
Speed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein files
Speed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline