December 28, 2020
Publication Type: Historical Documents
Amid the political commentary and partisan sentiments surrounding a presidential transition, there are nonpartisan traditions that accompany the change in White House occupancy. Historic letters and telegrams from past presidential transitions show how outgoing presidents communicated with their successors.December 21, 2020
Publication Type: Historical Documents
Publication Tags: Office of Personnel Management
To facilitate the transition to a new administration, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued its 2020 Presidential Transition Guide. The Guide provides the incoming administration and agency officials with transition responsibilities a detailed description of the various rules, regulations and policies that govern the establishment of transition teams.December 17, 2020
Publication Type: In the News
The Washington Post and Partnership for Public Service today announced the launch of the Political Appointments Tracker to follow and analyze the progress of President-elect Biden’s Senate-confirmed political appointments. The tracker, first launched in 2016, will allow readers to track more positions than ever before, and provide historical comparisons to past administrations, starting with the Trump administration, and data visualizations...December 17, 2020
Publication Type: In the News
President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks are beginning to work through the confirmation process in the Republican-controlled Senate as transition officials and Democrats press to avoid delays in putting key people in place amid the pandemic.December 16, 2020
Publication Type: Research and Publications
Publication Tags: Appointees,Congress
Pre-inaugural hearings help ensure that a new president’s team is confirmed quickly and are ready to govern on day one. These hearings are traditionally granted to nominees for senior Cabinet positions and are essential at the start of a new administration.December 16, 2020
Publication Type: Research and Publications
The last four presidents announced 115 nominees for Senate-confirmed positions prior to taking office. Among these, 71, including 49 out of 56 Cabinet nominees, received pre-inauguration hearings. Only eight nominations by four presidents were withdrawn. This document contains tables listing each announcement sorted by president, along with key dates and speed of confirmation for each...December 16, 2020
Publication Type: Research and Publications
One of the most significant tasks for any president is staffing their administration. A president is responsible for about 4,000 political appointments, 1,200 of which require Senate confirmation. This document puts those numbers into context by providing a breakdown of the number of positions in key agencies, and the number of Senate confirmed appointments and...December 14, 2020
Publication Type: In the News
President-elect Joe Biden has steadily added to his list of prospective Cabinet nominees. What reception can they look forward to in the Senate? In all likelihood, a rough one.December 14, 2020
Publication Type: In the News
A series of recent moves involving the Office of Personnel Management is reinvigorating concerns the agency has become increasingly politicized at a time when it’s supposed to help agencies oversee the ongoing presidential transition.December 11, 2020
Publication Type: In the News
When President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month, one of his first challenges will be the nearly 2 million-member federal workforce. Morale is down in many agencies after four years of attacks on the civil service from President Trump.