At 1,140, there are too many Senate-confirmed political appointments to ensure a smooth transition from one presidential administration to another and Congress needs to take the lead to reduce that number, the Partnership for Public Service has said.
In a report based on an examination of the 2008-2009 presidential transition, "Ready to Govern," the partnership noted that 40 percent of top Senate-confirmed appointments are still vacant and said the transition process leaves too much to chance even though it’s well organized.
The report calls on Congress and the White House to agree to have 500 officials in place at the six-month mark. It recommends that the administration’s first 50 key appointments are in place immediately after swearing in the new President, followed by 100 appointees confirmed at the 100 day mark.
Beginning the transition earlier and making it more transparent would help speed up the process, which would further be helped by "pre-election funding for campaigns to use on transition planning," as well as publicly naming transition directors following nominating conventions.
