The Senate has stonewalled on nearly half of President Trump’s nominees to fill his government, forcing him to install Obama-era bureaucrats into “acting” leadership positions, according to a new report.
Of the 367 positions he’s nominated somebody to fill, just 208 have been confirmed.
Another 159, or 43 percent of his picks, haven’t yet received confirmation, according to a Brookings Institution analysis.
The report said that there are about 620 Senate-confirmed key positions and that Trump has been slow to name people to, but administration officials said that the Senate’s stonewalling has discouraged making nominations that could sit on a shelf for months.
When unfilled, bureaucrats are tapped to lead in offices. Conservatives have been quick to charge that some Obama-era officials in those slots have undermined the Trump agenda.
The report, titled "Federal vacancies have left Trump’s government home alone," said that of the unfilled positions, “To date, these jobs have been filled by senior civil servants in an ‘acting’ capacity.” But they can stay in those jobs for just 300 days.
Some Trump officials have said that the president would like to cut the number of top jobs, but the Brookings report warned that the corps of nominees is tiny and having friendly leadership aides is key to a successful legacy.
“By not filling the leadership jobs in his government Trump is limiting his power and opening up the possibility of his legacy being reversed by the courts,” it said. “Appointees are important to presidential success, but vacancies are a recipe for failure.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com
