President Donald Trump’s phrase “drain the swamp” has gained attention as he continues to fill over 4,000 open government positions, which include his Secretary of State, chief financial officers, ambassadors, and cabinet secretaries. Trump has used this phrase to declare that he believes corruption runs rampant in the United States government today and that he hopes to implement his own, more respectable individuals.

Trump has advocated for the banishment of both Wall Street and known and successful politicians from Washington, D.C., claiming that the American people are sick of big money policy and career politicians. His recent cabinet appointments suggest that either he has decided to move in a different direction or he’s going back on his word.

When Americans think about government corruption, their minds often move to the influence of big money banks and other third parties who impact elections through their showy donations.

Some experts say Trump is in fact filling the swamp through appointing extremely wealthy, white, and arguably self-interested individuals. A few names that grace the list of appointments include former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, investor Wilbur Ross whose net worth stands at $2.9 billion, and Steven Mnuchin who is a former executive at Goldman Sachs.

Although Trump can rightfully say that he is cutting the number of lifetime politicians in his cabinet, he is replacing those individuals with public sector giants. He has the ability to effectively create a new form of corruption in the American government, one that strives to protect large corporations and wealthy individuals.

A few of the most controversial appointments include current Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions who was appointed Attorney General. Sessions has been the center of criticism because of his defense of the Ku Klux Klan in a 1986 case. Dr. Ben Carson will serve as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the new administration after his run for presidency fell short. Carson was previously a neurosurgeon and is among the most educated individuals in Trump’s cabinet, but he has no experience in the field of housing. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry will act as the Energy Secretary and effectively watch over the country’s nuclear arsenal, though in 2011, he declared that he wanted to get rid of the Department of Energy.

Along with these appointments, Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Education Secretary pick, has gained attention from her recent senate hearings in which she was asked questions on topics such as public school funding, student aptitude, and how she will react to students with disabilities.

Before her hearing, DeVos, a billionaire herself, consistently conveyed that she supported the defunding of public schools and the eventual migration of students into charter, parochial, and private schools. DeVos received private education for her entire life, has never sent her children to public schools, and has never needed financial aid. Some democrats in Congress argue that she cannot empathize with low income students and will effectively ruin the public school system.

Upper School History and Social Studies Head Andrew Bigelow believes DeVos would make a weak Education Secretary. “Betsy Devos couldn’t be more underqualified,” Bigelow said. “She has never taught a lesson in her life, and she has zero education in education.”

Bigelow also criticized her agenda. “Her idea is to give students the choice by giving everyone a check for $10,000 to go to whichever school they want to,” Bigelow said. “But, in reality, a family living in poverty doesn’t have the extra cash to pay a full tuition and to support all of the other school-related expenses.”

Junior Jett Bronstein, in response to DeVos’s proposal to gift each school-going child $10,000 said, “That’s absurd. I doubt that she’ll be able to accumulate the funds for that,” Bronstein said. “Her solution doesn’t account for the long term because the government would then have to pay $10,000 every year to each kid, and that isn’t a sustainable idea whatsoever.”

Congress’s approval of DeVos for Education Secretary hardly changes typical life at Parker. In fact, DeVos’s agenda could potentially make Parker more affordable for students on scholarship as well as for full-paying students.

DeVos, like the majority of Trump’s appointments, mimics his most clear characteristics: moneyed and lacking in political experience. Inserting such figures into political power has raised questions over whether Trump will change the face of Washington for the better or for the worse.