With Patrick Shanahan withdrawing as acting defense secretary, I was curious as to how many key positions remain unfilled in the Trump administration.
As of this writing, The Washington Post reports that of 713 key positions, 131 positions remain unfilled with no nominee in place to head these key government positions. The Post reports that these positions include “cabinet secretaries, deputy and assistant secretaries, chief financial officers, general counsel, heads of agencies, ambassadors and other critical leadership positions.”
Having acting heads in these positions means that they have not been confirmed by the Senate and leaves policies under these heads open to legal challenges for that reason. Heads are also able to act without the level of scrutiny that comes from being confirmed by the Senate.
President Trump is quoted by the Washington Post as saying, “I like acting [heads] because I can move so quickly. It gives me more flexibility.”
It appears that keeping positions unfilled allows the president to further undermine the checks and balances that are part of our system of government.
Brent Larsen, Millcreek
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