WHO'S RUNNING THE GOVERNMENT? 85% of key executive branch positions open

[HAB911]

Nearly 100 days into his term, President Donald Trump hasn't nominated anyone for 85% of key executive branch positions that require Senate confirmation.

Of the 554 positions requiring confirmation, as of Saturday, 473 have no nominee, 35 have been announced but not formally nominated, 24 have been nominated, and just 22 have been confirmed thus far, according to a database put together by the Washington Post and the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.

By this point in his first term, former president Barack Obama had 120 people nominated and just 54 confirmed, according to data provided to Business Insider by the Partnership for Public Service.

Having a high number of unfilled positions across federal agencies is not a catastrophic risk in the short term, experts say, because while political appointees await Senate confirmation, the administration has the power to appoint acting individuals to executive agency roles.

http://www.businessinsider.com/whos-running-the-government-trump-unfilled-executive-branch-positions-2017-4

[Turbineguy]

1. Hah! That explains why

I haven't heard back since I applied for the position of Witchsmeller Pursuivant.

[MineralMan]

2. Nobody's running it. That's the plan.

It's all deliberate, and designed to break down agencies and departments.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Not just that reason MM.

Trump operates in secrecy as his MO. They don't trust enough of THEIR people to run those agencies and because if they hired competent people in those agencies, they risk whistle-blowing that could pierce your ears.

No, Trump & Co. are not going to fill those positions.

[MineralMan]

8. That's true. Trump doesn't want to appoint anyone he doesn't trust.

The problem is that he doesn't know all that many people. In the State Department, for example, the Assistant Secretaries each have specific areas of diplomacy that they manage. They are typically people who have a deep understanding of diplomacy. Trump knows nobody who has such knowledge.

In the Justice Department, they fired all of the U.S. Attorneys. Trump doesn't know anybody who is capable of filling those positions. In fact, he doesn't even know what it is that they do. So, he leaves the positions empty, and leaves each of those U.S. Attorneys' team without a leader. Nobody has responsibility for anything, so they can't really do anything.

At the EPA, the person he appointed to head that administration wants to destroy it. So, there's no point, Trump thinks, in filling the upper level management positions. So, he doesn't. I mean, it'll be gone soon anyhow, he things.

Education Department, same thing. The conservatives have wanted it gone for a very long time. Looks like they may get their wish.

In all of those Executive Branch organizations, the actual day-to-day operations are managed by the second-level leadership people. The head of the organization has no earthly idea what to do. So, if you leave those second-tier positions vacant, nothing happens. There is no leadership at all.

It's all planned.

[HoneyBadger]

9. So most of the appointees have been fired and the career underlings are doing their jobs?

[MineralMan]

12. Pretty much, but only sort of.

Many will not do anything that involves risk. That's the problem. Those second-tier execs do a lot of decision-making that can't be done at lower,administrative levels. Without them, things don't get started, and everything stagnates.

[ProudLib72]

3. It's very difficult

to find 473 swap creature billionaires to fill those positions.

[Takket]

4. he's probaby auctining all the jobs off to the highest bidder

of course his children will "oversee the sale" so there is no conflict of interest

[HoneyBadger]

6. Do we actually need these positions filled by Trump?

What purpose would that serve? Who would benefit from that? I think that they are better off left as open reqs. When he decides to reduce headcount, he can start with open reqs.

[vlyons]

7. Republicans don't want the gov to work

When gov doesn't work, republicans can claim that "Gov doesn't work!" Private capitalist for-profit corporations could do a much much better job than gov, which is nothing but a bunch of beaurocrats making stupid rules that stiffle business.

[superpatriotman]

10. We are in the back seat

Being driven by a drunk and his enablers.


Hold on tight. You may have to tuck and roll.

[VigilantG]

11. Good analogy!