NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump told Forbes in an interview published Tuesday [10-10-17] that the size of some federal agencies is ‘unnecessary,’ offering an explanation as to why he has left so many positions requiring a presidential appointment vacant…
According to a database maintained by The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service that monitors roughly 600 key positions, 142 of Trump’s nominees have been confirmed by the Senate and another 165 who have been formally nominated await confirmation. Trump has announced an additional six nominations that he has yet to formally submit to the Senate.
The 600 positions monitored by the Post and Partnership for Public Service make up roughly half of the 1,200 government jobs that require Senate confirmation.
The White House has regularly said that Trump’s slow nomination pace represents an intentional effort to shrink the size of the federal government, a response to criticism that he has left key offices understaffed.”
-Louis Nelson, “Trump says he won’t fill ‘a lot’ of vacant appointments,” Politico, Oct. 10, 2017 08:26am