Washington , Nov 14

Chad Wolf was sworn in as the acting Secretary of Homeland Security on Wednesday after being confirmed by the US Senate, making him the fifth person to lead the third-largest department in the federal government under President Donald Trump.

Wolf was confirmed by a vote of 54-41 as the undersecretary for the Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans at DHS and then swiftly sworn in as the new acting DHS secretary.

Wolf announced that acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli will serve as his deputy.

Cuccinelli has been elevated to the acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security, CNN reported quoting an internal memo sent by Wolf.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump nominated Wolf to temporarily head the DHS, without confirming whether the official will be tapped for a permanent secretary role.

"He's acting right now. We'll see where that goes," Trump told reporters on November 2.

Wolf succeeds Kevin McAleenan, who helmed the Department of Homeland Security in an acting capacity since April. It's unclear whether Trump will formally nominate Wolf to be the secretary.

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