President Donald Trump has named Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino to also lead the White House Presidential Personnel Office, replacing Sergio Gor, who has been appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to India.
Fox News reported that the move, announced on Sunday, arrives during a grinding government shutdown entering its third week, with the White House pointing to congressional Democrats as the primary obstacle to reopening the government.
Scavino, a long-serving loyalist in Trump’s inner circle, will now take charge of shaping the makeup of government by overseeing appointments across federal agencies — a role that carries substantial influence over the direction and efficiency of policy implementation.
“I am pleased to announce that the great Dan Scavino… will head the White House Presidential Personnel Office,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, praising Gor’s previous tenure and congratulating Scavino on the expanded role.
Trump added, “Dan will be responsible for the selection and appointment of almost all positions in government, a very big and important position.”
Scavino’s elevation comes at a particularly complex moment: a federal funding lapse that began on October 1 has shuttered large portions of the government. Though the shutdown causes real consequences for federal operations and workers, leadership in Washington remains at an impasse.
The blame game has followed familiar partisan grooves. President Trump and his allies have placed the responsibility squarely on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his fellow Democrats, accusing them of leveraging the shutdown to extract political wins.
In a sharp rebuttal to Schumer’s optimistic spin, Trump wrote, “Chuck Schumer recently said, ‘Every day gets better’ during their Radical Left Shutdown. I DISAGREE!” Trump argued that the ongoing stalemate risks missing critical payments — particularly to military personnel — if Congress doesn’t intervene.
The administration has taken measures to limit the fallout for service members. On Saturday, Trump said he directed War Secretary Pete Hegseth to identify and deploy reserve funds to ensure troops get paid on October 15.
“We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS,” Trump assured via social media, a move likely to resonate with Americans who believe national defense shouldn't be used as a bargaining chip.
As Scavino enters his new post, outgoing personnel director Sergio Gor takes on another key role as the next U.S. Ambassador to India. Trump noted Gor “did a wonderful job” overseeing staffing and praised his professional transition into diplomacy.
The shift signals a continued effort by the Trump administration to rely on familiar, trusted figures in roles where loyalty is essential — a hallmark of prior personnel decisions that emphasized ideological alignment over conventional Beltway resumes.
Scavino’s presence at an inauguration event earlier this year at Capital One Arena underlines his prominence in the administration's inner workings. His appointment here simply formalizes the significant influence he already wielded behind the scenes.
At the heart of the current shutdown are stalled funding negotiations where Democrats have balked over the expiration of Affordable Care Act tax cuts and potential disruptions to Medicaid coverage, according to White House sources.
Conservatives view the opposition as less about helping vulnerable Americans and more about reasserting centralized control over sprawling government programs. The impasse has now left thousands of federal workers in limbo and essential services in disarray.
While practical effects mount, political calculations appear to dominate. Democrats continue to spotlight potential program rollbacks, while Republicans focus on fundamental governance and keeping essential functions — like national defense — funded.
By placing Scavino in charge of presidential staffing during such a turbulent period, Trump is sending a clear message: stability within the executive branch will not depend on congressional cooperation. Personnel is policy, and this appointment reinforces that mantra.
Well-known for his loyalty and strategic communications savvy, Scavino is expected to prioritize candidates who are both competent and aligned with the administration's worldview — a sharp shift from earlier bipartisan norms that favored resume over results.
