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FAQs: The Partnership and Washington Post Trump Appointee Tracker
With the upcoming inauguration of President Donald Trump, the Partnership for Public Service recently launched the Trump Political Appointee Tracker in collaboration with The Washington Post. This marks the third iteration of the tracker, which we first introduced in 2016. Presidents have the ability to fill the executive branch and independent agencies with roughly 4,000…
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…
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…
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…
The Cost of a Presidential Transition: Who Foots the Bill?
A well-resourced presidential transition enables an incoming administration to prepare for the complex task of governing, appoint key personnel and address immediate national and global challenges from day one. But how much does this crucial endeavor cost and where does this funding come from? The Price of a Transition Presidential transitions are expensive undertakings and…
The Basics of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act for New Administrations
One of the most important roles of a presidential transition team is to identify and fill agency leadership positions, with over 1,300 requiring Senate confirmation. Getting a leadership team in place as quickly as possible is essential for a new administration to govern effectively from day one. While it is preferable that positions be filled…