MEET THE NEW EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Here's who Trump has appointed to senior leadership positions

President-elect Donald Trump has a lot of key positions to fill in the coming weeks that will shape his next four years in office.While rumors have been flying around about who he will appoint since he won the election, Trump now only has two official Cabinet-level appointments left to make. He's filled 20 such positions so far, and made dozens of other high-ranking hires.We'll update this list as he announces more senior leadership positions, but here's what we know so far:SEE ALSO:Trump's choice for CIA director once said US Muslims who don't reject terrorism are 'complicit' in itDON'T MISS:Trump's new national security adviser is under fire for his views on Russia, his business ties to Turkey ' and his tweetsSecretary of Veterans Affairs: Dr. David J. Shulkin (pending Senate confirmation)Obama administration counterparts: Eric Shinseki, Robert A. McDonald (present)Duties:lead the agency that provides medical benefits and care for the nation's veterans through the VA's 1,233 health care facilities, manage the national cemeteriesReactions:While Shulkin himself is not a veteran, his father was an Army captain and he was born on a military base. President Barack Obama nominated him to be under secretary for health at the VA after cleaning house following the 2014 scandal finding that the agency's wait times were excessively long, jeopardizing its care of veterans.US Trade Representative: Robert Lighthizer (pending Senate confirmation)Obama administration counterparts: Ron Kirk, Michael Froman (present)Duties:America's main trade negotiator, develop and recommend trade policy to the president, coordinate trade policy within the governmentReactions:Lighthizer lines up with Trump's stances on trade, particularly his harsh criticism of China, and even praised the businessman's trade policies in a 2011 op-ed in the Washington Times. Those who support free trade and disagree with Trump's views on the issue are therefore likely to disagree withLighthizer, too. He does have experience serving in the executive branch, howevera characteristic many of Trump's Cabinet picks lack.White House Press Secretary: Sean SpicerObama administration counterparts:Robert Gibbs,Jay Carney,Josh Earnest (present)Duties:serve as the main spokesperson for the Trump administration, provide daily press briefingsReactions:Spicer's appointment was largely expected because he stuck by Trump throughout the campaign as the communications director for the Republican National Committee.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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