Trump transition updates: Trump taps America First think tank CEO as agriculture secretary

President-elect Trump campaigned relentlessly on a radical overhaul of the federal government. His Cabinet picks, being unveiled at a breakneck pace, reflect he's determined to keep the promises he made to millions of Americans who voted to put him back in the White House.

And while his first choices toed a more traditional line, his next round included a series of names that shocked even Trump's close Republican allies in Congress: former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee Health and Human Services.

"This will absolutely be a brand-new era in Washington, from the pledge to remake the civil service to a top-to-bottom change in federal policies. There's nothing like it in recent memory," said Donald Kettl, a professor emeritus at the University of Maryland and former dean of its school of public policy.

Read more about the Cabinet picks and what some of the more unconventional picks indicate about Trump's plan to govern here.

Vice President-elect JD Vance will return to Capitol Hill on Thursday -- this time accompanying President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, to meetings with senators, per a source familiar with the plans.

The visit comes after Vance accompanied Trump's pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, to meetings with Republican senators on Wednesday.

Just as Gaetz did, Hegseth is expected to meet with GOP senators in hopes of helping his nomination process.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

Vice President-elect JD Vance and former Rep. Matt Gaetz met with GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, another member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

The meeting comes amid Gaetz's nomination for attorney general and the House Ethics Committee being deadlocked on whether to release its report on him.

"I think it was a productive conversation," Cruz told reporters. "I believe every one of the president's nominees deserves a full and fair hearing and a swift confirmation process, and I hope and expect that's exactly what the Senate will provide," Cruz said.

"I think there will be a full and fair confirmation process," he added.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

President-elect Donald Trump has announced he's nominating former congressman Peter Hoekstra to be the United States ambassador to Canada.

The role requires Senate confirmation for approval.

Most recently, Hoekstra served as chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. He previously served as the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term.

"Pete is well-respected in the Great State of Michigan - A State we won sizably," Trump wrote in a statement on Wednesday.

"In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST. He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role," Trump added.

-ABC News' Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh