Our updated Trump Political Appointee Tracker is up and running. Follow the status of critical leadership positions that require Senate confirmation

Our new reform agenda seeks to support and strengthen the nonpartisan civil service to improve how our government serves the public. Learn more

As presidential campaign comes into focus, candidates must focus on effective transition planning. Read our statement

Watch the “Our Government Explained” video about the role of the transition process in preparing a president-elect to run the country. Watch here

See how the Partnership for Public Service is responding to the crisis of trust in government. Read more

2024 Presidential Transition Updates

Incoming administrations have roughly 75 days between Election Day and Inauguration Day to prepare to govern. Our resources below outline what happens during this phase of a presidential transition, provide real-time updates on the current process and offer support to career federal employees who are navigating this time of change.
Transition resourcesFederal employee resources

Since 2008, the Partnership for Public Service has been working with presidential candidates, their transition teams and incumbent administrations to ensure smooth and effective presidential transitions.

Learn more

Our Advantage

Ready to Serve®

Our Ready to Serve resources give aspiring political appointees the information and tools needed to navigate the federal appointments process. We help prospective appointees learn about possible roles, background checks, ethics requirements, and, for the most senior-level positions, the Senate confirmation process.

Transition Timeline

Stay informed about upcoming milestones and statutory requirements for presidential transition teams, federal agencies and the White House.

Political Appointments Over Time

See how the Senate confirmation process is taking longer than ever before for top positions in recent presidential administrations.

Ready to Govern®

Our Ready to Govern program helps political appointees accelerate their impact by helping them better understand their roles and the unique aspects of leading in the federal government.

“The Center is a great convening place for expertise on presidential transitions without an agenda other than making government work.”

 

Josh Bolten, former chief of staff to President George W. Bush

Learn about our impact

Latest Blogs and Research

Personnel Opportunities and Challenges for Trump’s Second Term 
Incoming presidents face a significant challenge and opportunity when entering office to fill more than 4,000 appointed roles across the executive branch.  We recently reviewed President-elect Donald Trump’s record-setting pace for senior personnel announcements, but little will be known until Inauguration Day about the progress in hiring the largest group of political appointees: the roughly…
Political Appointment / Presidential Transition
January 09, 2025
Recent Academic Research Confirms Detrimental Effects of Leadership Vacancies on Federal Agency Performance 
One of the outcomes of an increasingly lengthy and challenging Senate confirmation process is that many Senate-confirmed federal leadership positions remain vacant for long periods of time. Our research has shown that many of these agency positions are persistently vacant and that 30% or more of the leadership jobs at Cabinet departments are without a confirmed…
Political Appointment
December 18, 2024
To the Moon: Trump’s Record-setting Pace of Personnel Announcements 
Politicians love to promise the moon, but when it comes time to deliver, they sometimes fail to launch. In at least one area of President-elect Donald Trump’s promises, however, the data shows he is operating at warp speed regarding personnel announcements.  Just over one month since the presidential election, Trump has announced 101 appointments. That’s…
December 12, 2024
See more

Political Appointee Tracker

 JUST UPDATED 

Launched in 2016 with The Washington Post, the Political Appointee Tracker has been following roughly 800 of the 1,200 political appointed positions that require Senate confirmation, including Cabinet secretaries, chief financial officers, general counsels and ambassadors.

Learn more

“I cannot imagine doing a presidential transition in a modern era without the Partnership.”

 

Ted Kaufman, co-chair of the Biden-Harris transition team; former senator of Delaware; Center Advisory Board

Learn about our impact