FIRST APPEARED ON THE BPC BLOG ON AUGUST 8, 2017
The Trump administration continues to trail its recent predecessors in filling key appointed management positions as we reach the 200-day mark since inauguration. In this second update of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Management Tracker, which follows progress made to fill vital executive branch management positions, we find that at the beginning of this administration, slightly less than one-third of key management positions are filled by confirmed incumbents, compared to over 70 percent at the 200-day marks of the previous two administrations.
Unlike other trackers that look at all Senate-confirmed posts, BPC’s Management Tracker follows those positions requiring confirmation that are responsible for the management of large numbers of employees or budgets. These are the individuals tasked with ensuring effective management of the government on a day-to-day basis. Without confirmed appointees in these positions, which include agency deputy secretaries and CFOs, the government will not be run as efficiently as possible and taxpayer money will not be spent as wisely as it could.
In 2014, BPC’s Commission on Political Reform made seven recommendations about improving the presidential appointment process, especially at the beginning of a new administration. Among them are ways to streamline the appointment process and a need to focus on expediting top positions. We believe it benefits all Americans to have fully-empowered, confirmed appointees running the government.
Where do we stand today in relation to recent history? This administration is behind in nominating individuals for essential, management-focused positions. At this point, both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama had nominated (or held over from the previous administration) individuals for more than 75 percent of the tracked positions. President Trump has made nominations or held over individuals for 57 percent of the tracked positions, not including three nominations that were subsequently withdrawn before Congress took action.
By this point in their administrations, Bush and Obama also had more of their preferred nominees confirmed. As of today, Congress has confirmed 18 of President Trump’s nominees, compared to 35 and 32 for Obama and Bush, respectively. The previous two administrations had more than 70 percent of their management teams in place at the 200-day mark. The current administration has about 39 percent of equivalent positions filled.