President Donald Trump plans to nominate lawyer John Sullivan to be deputy secretary of state, the second-highest position at the State Department, the White House says.
A statement issued on April 11 said that Sullivan would also serve as deputy secretary of state for management and resources. He will only be paid for serving in one role.
Sullivan’s nomination will begin the long process of filling out Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s top leadership at the department, which is facing a proposed 31 percent budget cut.
Sullivan, 57, served in the administration of President George W. Bush as deputy secretary of the Commerce Department and as deputy general counsel in the Defense Department.
The White House statement was issued while Tillerson was traveling in Russia.
