3.1: Political Appointees

Recruiting Political Appointees

Other Information:

Summary: In order for the President to be able to fully implement his or her policy priorities and lead the nation, it is crucial to have the top levels of executive branch leadership in place. In recent administrations, delays have significantly slowed political appointments. For instance, in the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations, about 50% of the top 75 national security appointments remained vacant on May 1. To alleviate this problem, we recommend that Presidents establish priorities on positions to be filled quickly, especially those related national security. To do this, more resources should be allocated to the Office of Presidential Personnel, and the OPP should work closely with the Senate and vetting agencies to share information about nominees to expedite clearance processes. A reduction in the total number of political appointees would facilitate the political appointments process and improve the leadership of the executive branch.

Stakeholder(s):

• Office of Presidential Personnel


• U.S. Senate

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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