Streamlining Appointee Vetting Requirements

Our government needs high-performing, talented people to join administrations at all levels. But political appointees, especially those required to go through Senate confirmation, must navigate a maze of forms for vetting, background investigations, ethics reviews, security clearance adjudication and review by Senate committees. The lengthy and burdensome process discourages qualified individuals from seeking nominations.

Reducing duplication and streamlining processes would enable qualified appointees to move through the vetting process more quickly. A bipartisan commission has recommended eliminating repetitive questions and creating common ones across forms; better tailoring questions to elicit only the most necessary information; and developing an electronic system, or “smart form,” to enable candidates to complete questions just once.

The Center for Presidential Transition® provides information to prospective appointees about navigating the complex process and promotes recommendations to streamline the process itself.