
Trump has been cleaning house even before stepping into office, but there's one cabinet member he's keeping from the Obama administration, for now at least.
Donald Trump has made a big deal of “draining the swamp” when he assumes office on Jan. 20, and he has certainly made sweeping changes to the heads of many agencies, as most incoming presidents do. But there’s one person who will be sticking around for a bit from the Obama administration: Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health.
NIH announced on Thursday that Collins would be held over, and did not provide any additional details. Collins was appointed by Obama all the way back in 2009, and he has indicated he would like to stay in his position. He met with Trump while in New York, according to a Washington Post reports.
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) had been considered for the job, as had been Patrick Soon-Shiong, a biotech entrepreneur, but it appears Collins will stay in his post at least for the time being. A total of 50 senior Obama administration officials have been asked to stay temporarily by the Trump transition team.
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