Former U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Indian American official Harry Kumar as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce. Kumar has served as Director of Government Relations at the Department of Commerce for the past four years. The White House announced his nomination as part of a broader list of candidates for diplomatic, defense, and administrative positions, which has been sent to the Senate for confirmation.
Kumar’s career in government spans several roles. During Trump’s first term, he worked as Associate Director for Legislative Affairs from November 2019 to January 2021. Before that, he served as a Legislative Assistant in the U.S. Senate (March 2017 – November 2019) and as Legislative Counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives (April 2015 – March 2017).
His expertise extends to energy policy, having worked as a Legislative & Policy Aide at HBW Resources LLC in Houston, Texas. In that role, he conducted legal research and analyses on congressional and regulatory initiatives related to oil, natural gas, land-use, and emissions. Before this, he practiced law at Steven S. Toeppich & Associates, PLLC, focusing on oil and energy law. As a Public Policy Fellow at Consumer Energy Alliance in Texas, he contributed to research on Florida’s energy policies and assessed legislative initiatives affecting the energy sector.
Alongside Kumar, Trump has also nominated Janet Dhillon of Virginia as Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for a five-year term. Dhillon, who previously served as Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 2019 to January 2021, remained a commissioner until resigning in November 2022.
Both nominations now await Senate confirmation.
