According to the United States Office of Government Ethics, a political appointee is "any employee who is appointed by the President, the Vice President, or agency head".[1] As of 2016, there were around 4,000 political appointment positions which an incoming administration needs to review, and fill or confirm, of which about 1,200 require Senate confirmation.[2][3] The White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO) is one of the offices most responsible for political appointees and for assessing candidates to work at or for the White House.[4]
These positions are published in the Plum Book (officially, the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions), a new edition of which is released after each United States presidential election.[5] The list is provided by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The 2020 edition of the Plum Book was published on December 1, 2020.[5]
- ^ "Political Appointees". U.S. Office of Government Ethics. Washington, D.C. March 31, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ The Editorial Board (November 14, 2016). "Donald Trump Is Now Hiring". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ Shirley Anne Warshaw. Powersharing: White House-Cabinet Relations in the Modern Presidency. SUNY Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-4384-2331-9.
- ^ a b United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions (Plum Book) (PDF) (PDF). Government Publishing Office. December 2020.