The abuse of the career civil service for partisan political purposes and the bureaucratic usurpation of sensitive policymaking, which should be the sole responsibility of political appointees, are threats to both good government and sound management. They should never be tolerated. The new President and his team can achieve significant success in advancing his substantive agenda in the early stages of his term by taking advantage of the President's broad powers of appointment to quickly secure competent personnel committed to his agenda and ensure that his political appointees operate as a team. He must make sure that his appointees understand their management responsibilities as well as opportunities for improving employee performance under the Civil Service Reform Act. He must insist that they maintain a sharp line between career and non-career staff and functions, and provide clear leadership for the civil service, demonstrating respect for their professionalism and responsibilities in the execution of government policy.
Personnel is policy.
The American people will be the direct beneficiaries of that kind of sound presidential personnel management. Delivering on campaign promises by transforming ideas into effective policy is the essence of good government in a free society. But a very large number of these positions are, and will be, occupied by a career incumbents, not political appointees. Sess., November 8, 2000. 1044, July 24, 1995.