The Interior Department’s new second-in-command has an unusual combination of cheerleaders rooting for her as she gets down to work this week.
Kate MacGregor, who was sworn in as deputy Interior secretary this week, is being hailed as a possible savior both by career federal employees and by Trump administration allies. They welcome her entry into a department whose boss is a newcomer to Washington and where the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency operation has wielded significant sway in the early days of Trump’s second term.
Both camps view MacGregor — an Interior veteran from Trump’s first term and Capitol Hill — as a loyal soldier for the administration’s energy policies but also as someone who respects the department’s mission and will have a willingness and the authority to push back on DOGE if she disagrees with it.
Interior employees, like other federal workers across the government, have been reeling from DOGE’s early moves to slash staffing and reconfigure agencies. At Interior, DOGE official Tyler Hassen was put into a senior leadership position overseeing policy, management and budget.
