who is the head of the department of homeland security 2017
Kirstjen Nielsen
title: Kirstjen Nielsen text: Kirstjen Nielsen Kirstjen Michele Nielsen (born May 14, 1972) is an American attorney and national security expert serving since 2017 as the sixth and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security. Nielsen is a former Principal Deputy White House Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump, and was Chief of Staff to John F. Kelly during his term as Secretary of Homeland Security. She was confirmed on December 5, 2017, as the Secretary of Homeland Security. Following her appointment, Nielsen implemented a policy of separating parents and children accused of crossing over the U.S.–Mexico border illegally. Kirstjen Michele Nielsen was title: Kirstjen Nielsen text: month after Kelly became White House Chief of Staff on July 31, 2017, Nielsen moved to the White House, becoming the principal Deputy Chief of Staff under Kelly. On October 11, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Nielsen to be the new United States Secretary of Homeland Security, replacing Acting Secretary Elaine Duke. On December 5, 2017, the Senate confirmed her nomination, by a 62–37 vote. On December 6, 2017, she was sworn in as Secretary of Homeland Security. On January 16, 2018, Nielsen testified before the United States Senate in favor of merit, rather than family, based immigration. She was title: Presidency of Donald Trump text: amount required to invoke from an absolute supermajority of three-fifths to a bare majority. His final initial Cabinet-level nominee, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, was confirmed on May 12, 2017. In July 2017, John F. Kelly, who had served as Secretary of Homeland Security, replaced Priebus as Chief of Staff. Bannon was fired in August 2017, leaving Kelly as one of the most powerful individuals in the White House. In September 2017, Tom Price resigned as Secretary of Health and Human Services amid criticism over his use of private charter jets for his personal travel. Don J. Wright replaced Price title: Elaine Duke text: Elaine Duke Elaine Costanzo Duke (born June 26, 1958) is an American civil servant and former United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, serving from April 10, 2017 until April 15, 2018. She became acting Secretary of Homeland Security on July 31, 2017, when John F. Kelly assumed the office of White House Chief of Staff. She left the acting position on December 6, 2017, upon the confirmation of Kirstjen Nielsen. The daughter of Francesco (Frank) Costanzo Duke and Concetta Scherma, Duke is a native of Ohio. Her maternal grandparents (Scherma) emigrated from Aidone, Sicily and her Costanzo family roots title: John F. Kelly text: W. Tidd on January 14, 2016. On December 7, 2016, then President-elect Donald Trump nominated Kelly to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a cabinet-level position. People familiar with the transition said that Trump's team was drawn to Kelly because of his southwest border expertise. On January 20, 2017, Kelly was confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security by the United States Senate with a vote of 88–11. On that evening, he was sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence. In an April 2017 speech at George Washington University, Kelly said, "If lawmakers do not like the laws they've passed