Opinion: It’s about time we reinvent government again

February 24, 2021

President Biden’s nominees are getting confirmed at a snail’s pace. As of Wednesday, the Senate has approved only 10 high-level appointments. Biden has made his choices for 58 of these positions, setting a pace well ahead of previous administrations; the Senate, however, is badly lagging, doing worse than each of the last four presidents. To some extent, senators can blame the delay on the impeachment trial and the body’s close political divide (an indictment of Republicans’ unwillingness to cooperate, not a valid excuse). Nevertheless, at a time when the country faces multiple serious crises, the new administration is operating with relatively few of its key personnel picks in place.