President-elect Donald Trump’s Treasury Department senior leadership team, led by secretary nominee Scott Bessent, will work together to advance Trump’s 2025 core policy issues. Key team member Ken Kies, a longtime Republican tax lobbyist, will focus on tax reduction as assistant secretary for tax policy, leveraging his experience representing Microsoft, insurance companies, and financial services organizations.
The Manhattan Institute’s Daniel Katz will serve as head of staff, and Samantha Schwab, the granddaughter of billionaire Charles Schwab, will serve as Deputy Chief of staff. Trump claimed on Truth Social platform on Thursday night that Katz served as a senior adviser at the Treasury during Trump’s first term.
Schwab served in the legislative affairs office during the first Trump administration. One million dollars was donated by Charles Schwab to Trump’s first fundraising committee in 2017. The deputy chief of staff will be Cora Alvi, a former National Deputy Finance Director for Trump’s presidential campaign.
Republicans have until the end of the year to renew a large number of the tax cuts that were implemented during Trump’s first term. Next year, taxes on a large number of people and small companies will rise unless Congress takes action.
Along with these significant changes that might add trillions of dollars to the debt, Trump has pledged to implement new tax cuts for corporations and do away with taxes on tips, overtime compensation, and Social Security benefits.
Trump said that he had appointed Hunter McMaster as director of policy planning and Alexandra Preate as senior counselor to the Treasury secretary. McMaster is the nephew of prominent Trump fundraiser Henry McMaster of South Carolina.
