FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2011
Contact: Sarah Howe
202-775-9111
PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE APPLAUDS SENATE LEADERS FOR BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT TO STREAMLINE CONFIRMATION PROCESS
WASHINGTON –Partnership for Public Service President and CEO Max Stier released the following statement today commending Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for their bipartisan agreement to streamline the confirmation process, making it easier for the White House to fill important vacancies quickly:
“Allowing important government positions to remain vacant for months at a time is no way to govern. We applaud the bipartisan Senate leadership for proposing common sense reforms to improve how the Senate approaches its role to advise and consent on presidential nominations.
Reducing the number of positions requiring a vote in committee and on the Senate floor will do much to unclog the pipeline of new appointees and ensure that federal agencies have key leaders in place and working on behalf of the American people.
We urge the House to follow the Senate's lead. The time to act is now."
The Partnership called on Congress and the White House to make major fixes to the presidential transition process in its Ready to Govern: Improving the Presidential Transition report released in January 2010, and available at www.ourpublicservice.org. Report recommendations include starting the transition process earlier, making it more transparent so there is no longer a stigma on preparing, and reducing the number of Senate-confirmed politically appointed positions.
The report also recommends that Congress and the White House agree on a calendar of appointments so 50 of the top officials are confirmed on or shortly after the inauguration and 500 key officials are confirmed at the six month mark, rather than the current norm of over a year.
The Partnership for Public Service works to revitalize the federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works.
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The Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to revitalize our federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works.
