Chad Wolf

Wolf is originally from Plano, Texas.[2] He graduated from Plano East Senior High School and then attended Collin College on a tennis scholarship.[3] Wolf then earned a B.S. in U.S. history from Southern Methodist University. Soon after graduation he drove from Texas to Washington, DC, and approached Congressional staffers for a job.[3] He worked in the U.S. Senate for Senators Phil Gramm, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and then Chuck Hagel, for whom he worked for two and a half years.[3][4][5]

From 2002 to 2005, Wolf participated in the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the wake of the September 11 attacks. During his final year at TSA he served as Assistant Administrator for Transportation Security Policy.[4][5] He was youngest assistant administrator in the agency's history at that point.[3]

In October 2005 he became Vice President and Senior Director at Wexler & Walker,[4][5] a prominent bipartisan lobbying firm,[6] a position he held for over 11 years.[2] He focused on homeland security and aviation security issues.[3] In 2013 he received a Master Certificate in Government Contract Management from Villanova University.[4]

In March 2017 Wolf became Chief of Staff of the Transportation Security Administration.[2][4]

In 2018 he became Chief of Staff of DHS under Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.[4] During this time he was involved in the effort to reduce the number of illegal immigrants, including the family separation policy. He later testified to Congress that his function was to provide information to the Secretary and "not to determine whether it was the right or wrong policy,"[7] though he agreed with the decision to end the policy.[8] He also testified that he was not involved in the initial development of the policy by the Executive Office of the President and the Attorney General, though this statement was disputed based on internal documents.[9]

He then became Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Plans, Analysis & Risk,[4] a Senior Executive Service position not subject to Senate confirmation.[10] He concurrently served as Acting Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy, and Plans.[4] He was nominated in February 2019 to serve permanently in the Under Secretary role,[11] and his confirmation hearing was held that June,[7] but the nomination was delayed by Senator Jacky Rosen to protest poor conditions for children at DHS facilities.[12]

Acting Secretary

Wolf is sworn in as Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy, and Plans with his family in 2019

Wolf briefs the White House press corps on the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020

Wolf's appointment as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security came after the departure of Kevin McAleenan was announced on November 1, 2019.[13] The fact that he had previously lobbied for the National Association of Software and Services Companies, which was in favor of the H-1B visa program, led to criticism from groups favoring more restrictive immigration policies,[11][14] but the Trump administration defended his record[7] and privately asked Republican senators not to oppose his appointment.[15]

The administration waited for Wolf's confirmation as Under Secretary before appointing him to the Acting Secretary role,[16] to avoid appointing him as a principal officer from a non-Senate-confirmed position, which many scholars and former government officials have argued is unconstitutional.[13][17][18] DHS then had to move the Under Secretary position earlier in the line of succession, because the 210-day period in which an acting official may be named without a pending permanent nomination had expired, mandating that the duties of the Secretary must be performed by the department's seniormost confirmed official.[16][19]

Wolf was confirmed as Under Secretary on November 13, 2019 on a 54–41 vote,[20] and was sworn in as acting Secretary of Homeland Security the same day.[21] On November 15, House Democrats Bennie Thompson and Carolyn Maloney requested that the Comptroller General of the United States review the legality of Wolf's appointment on the basis that former Acting Secretary McAleenan did not have authority to change the department's line of succession, asserting that former Secretary Nielsen had not properly placed McAleenan first in the line of succession before resigning, and additionally that McAleenan's change came after the 210-day limit to his authority had expired.[8][22][23]

In February 2020, Wolf announced that the Trump administration was revoking New York residents' ability to participate in Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler programs, in response to the state's "sanctuary" immigration policies, which jeopardized the government’s ability to effectively vet travelers.[24][25][26] The move prompted the State of New York to sue the administration.[25]

Wolf is married and has two sons.[27]

• Appearances on C-SPAN