Trump has withdrawn 62 nominees. White House officials blame his impulsive nominations.
President Trump's party has controlled the Senate for his entire term in office, and without a filibuster, most of the people he's nominated for federal jobs have been confirmed — though some just barely. But Trump has also withdrawn 62 nominations, Politico reports, citing figures from the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service. That's more than twice the 30 nominees former President Barack Obama had withdrawn at this point in his first term, and the 62 failed nominations don't even include people Trump never formally nominated, like Federal Reserve picks Stephen Moore and Herman Cain.
One reason for the high failure rate is weak and sloppy vetting, according to people involved in the process. "Past administrations have historically spent weeks or even months trying to identify potentially damaging information about candidates for administration jobs — long before their nominations are announced," Politico reports. In the most recent case, "many in the administration were unaware of some of Moore's past writings."
The White House's vetting operation has improved, but Trump "sometimes undermines that process by making major staffing decisions on his own, with little consultation and with little notice," Politico reports, citing current and former administration officials. One former senior White House official told Politico that Trump is "impatient and impulsive,'' adding: "When he makes a decision, he wants to move forward. There aren't any people around him urging caution."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump's choice of friends, family, associates, people who looked the part, and people he saw on TV worked while Senate Republicans were freer with the green light, but they have recently started quashing more nominees. Trump has instead started relying more heavily on "acting" officials who don't need Senate confirmation. Besides, "compared to all of the stuff Trump is dealing with, this stuff barely registers," a former administration official tells Politico. "Is anybody going to remember Steve Moore in three months?"
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Global court issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Speed Read The International Criminal Court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who stand accused of war crimes
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz bows out, Trump pivots to Pam Bondi
Speed Read Gaetz withdrew from attorney generation consideration, making way for longtime Trump loyalist Pam Bondi
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
GOP's Mace seeks federal anti-trans bathroom ban
Speed Read Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has introduced legislation to ban transgender people from using federal facilities
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published