President Donald Trump has lambasted Democrats for not approving his nominees, even though he has named few candidates to fill those executive branch positions.
As part of a Monday tweetstorm, the US leader complained that Senate Democrats “are taking forever to approve my people, including Ambassadors.”
“They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS! Want approvals.”
Of the 559 key positions that require Senate confirmation, only 63 – or 11 per cent – have been formally nominated. Of those nominees, 39 have been confirmed, according to the Washington Post and the nonpartisan group Partnership for Public Service.
“They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS! Want approvals.”
The President has still not named candidates for dozens of ambassadorships. Currently, only five nominated candidates remain unconfirmed.
Mr Trump said he would nominate New York Jets owner Woody Johnson as ambassador to the UK but has not formally done so.
Mr Trump’s nominees that have been confirmed include David Friedman, the ambassador to Israel, and Terry Branstad, the ambassador to China.
During the previous administration, President Barack Obama had formally nominated 219 candidates for executive branch positions by 20 May during the first year of his presidency. Almost 60 per cent of those were confirmed by the Senate by that time.
Having a high number of unfilled positions across federal agencies may not be a huge risk in the short term, as the administration can appoint acting individuals to fill those roles while political appointees await Senate confirmation, according to experts interviewed by Business Insider. However, the ability to enact long-term policies may be hampered if those positions continue to remain unoccupied by the President's nominees.
