US President-elect Donald Trump has selected Mark Paoletta as general counsel of the office of management and budget for his second administration.
Paoletta, who previously served in this role during Trump’s first term, brings experience as a former congressional staffer and White House official and has served as legal counsel to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife.
“Mark is a brilliant and tenacious lawyer, who worked tirelessly to advance my Agenda in the First Term,” Trump wrote in his post announced the nomination on Truth Social.
“As OMB GC in my First Administration, Mark led the charge to identify funding to build the Southern Border Wall, and worked with then-OMB Director Russ Vought to rein in woke and weaponized Government spending. Mark is a partner at the Law Firm, Schaerr Jaffe, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Renewing America,” he added.
This appointment precedes Trump’s second term, scheduled to commence January 20, as he continues to establish his Cabinet and senior positions.
Trump stated, “Mark will work closely with our DOGE team to cut the size of our bloated Government bureaucracy, and root out wasteful and anti-American spending,” referring to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s leadership.
After announcement, Mark expressed his happiness and said, “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the privilege to work for you again. I am thrilled to be rejoining my friend @russvought at OMB where we will once again be the tip of the spear to implement President Trump’s agenda, including working w/ @DOGE to cut wasteful government spending!”
Paoletta’s previous experience includes assisting with the confirmation of two Supreme Court nominees and Cabinet officials. He also served under President George H.W. Bush as assistant counsel, contributing to Thomas’s confirmation.