Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary Chad Wolf speaks during a meeting of the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (PITF), in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, on the White House complex in Washington on Oct. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump Picks Chad Wolf as Next Acting DHS Secretary

President Donald Trump has picked Chad Wolf, the acting Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy, and Plans, as the next acting Secretary of Homeland Security.

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters on Friday that current acting secretary of Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Kevin McAleenan, will leave after Veterans Day and Wolf will serve as acting secretary in the interim.

Gidley declined to say who the president will nominate to lead the department on a permanent basis.

Wolf was nominated by Trump to his current position in February and was the chief of staff of DHS under Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen until her resignation in April.

Wolf graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in History from Southern Methodist University. He earned his Master’s certificate in Government Contract Management from Villanova University.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan testifies at a House hearing in front of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, in Washington on July 12, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

McAleenan resigned in October, saying he wants to spend more time with his family.

Trump praised McAleenan in a statement on Twitter for having “done an outstanding job as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security.”

“We have worked well together with Border Crossings being way down,” the president wrote.

Kevin McAleenan has done an outstanding job as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. We have worked well together with Border Crossings being way down. Kevin now, after many years in Government, wants to spend more time with his family and go to the private sector…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2019

McAleenan said on Saturday that he will work with the White House and DHS to ensure a smooth transition.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Chad for more than two years and know his experience in multiple roles at DHS will be invaluable when confronting the homeland security challenges the Department will face. Chad understands what it takes to run a vast enterprise such as the Department. He is a proven, thoughtful, and principled executive and I am confident he will serve the president and the American people well as Acting Secretary,” he said in a statement.

“I am confident Chad will carry on the important progress we have made,” McAleenan added.