Updated | President Donald Trump lost another key member of his administration Friday afternoon, as John Kelly was appointed to replace Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff. There's only one problem: Kelly already had an administration job: secretary of homeland security.
So, who's in charge of that department?
The answer is likely Elaine C. Duke, who was sworn in April 10 as the deputy secretary of homeland security after being confirmed by the Senate. She's spent about 30 years with the federal government, according to a news release, in roles such as deputy assistant administrator for acquisition at the Transportation Security Administration and undersecretary for management. She worked under two other presidents, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, Reuters reported.
Duke breaks with Trump on at least one issue: the much-hyped wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. During her confirmation, Duke told lawmakers she was willing to consider using technology to secure the boundary as opposed to a literal wall. She added that she wanted to try a pilot program to see how effective it could be, and then "take all that and determine what is the right combination for the complete security of the southwest border," the Hill reported at the time.
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