Outcome of midterms unlikely to improve the Senate confirmation process for executive branch nominees The time it takes to confirm presidential appointments in the Senate has grown longer and longer over the past four decades, despite several changes to Senate rules. The results of the midterm elections are unlikely to reverse the 40-year pattern. Read More
More than a quarter of ambassador positions are without a Senate-confirmed official, hindering American diplomacy Data from our Political Appointee Tracker, run jointly with The Washington Post, shows that nearly 30% of 194 Senate-confirmed ambassador positions in our government are currently vacant. Learn how nominating effective ambassadors has helped to bridge the gap in American leadership worldwide. Read More
How Congress worked to protect America after 9/11: Reflections from Michael Bopp, former Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Read More
How Congress worked to protect America after 9/11: Reflections from Mike Alexander, former staff director of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Read More
Urgent and important: Navigating the political realities while building the capacity of Congress to better serve the public Read More
It’s time for the Senate to confirm a permanent OPM director. Here’s why. The Office of Personnel Management enables employees and agencies to work better. However, a lack of permanent leadership for much of the past decade has hampered OPM’s ability to support the 2 million public servants who work in government. In this post, Partnership President and CEO Max Stier urges the full Senate to act quickly on the nomination of Kiran Ahuja to serve as the agency’s new leader. Read More
President Biden’s Cabinet and Cabinet-level appointments: The first 35 days The quick confirmation of Cabinet secretaries and Cabinet-level agency leaders is essential for a new administration to address the country’s urgent needs. We examine the slower-than-usual confirmation of Biden’s appointees a month into his presidency and place the new administrations appointment record in historical context. Read More
