Source: https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R45028.html
Timestamp: 2020-08-09 23:37:26
Document Index: 791569510

Matched Legal Cases: ['§3', '§901', '§901', '§405', '§3033', '§3', '§3', '§104', '§6563', '§6592', '§4372', '§303']

Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions in Independent and Other Agencies During the 114th Congress - EveryCRSReport.com
November 28, 2017 R45028
The President makes appointments to positions within the federal government, either using the authorities granted by law to the President alone or with the advice and consent of the Senate. This report identifies all nominations during the 114th Congress that were submitted to the Senate for full-time positions in 40 organizations in the executive branch (27 independent agencies, 6 agencies in the Executive Office of the President [EOP], and 7 multilateral organizations) and 4 agencies in the legislative branch. It excludes appointments to executive departments and to regulatory and other boards and commissions, which are covered in other Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports.
Information for each agency is presented in tables. The tables include full-time positions confirmed by the Senate, pay levels for these positions, and appointment action within each agency. Additional summary information across all agencies covered in the report appears in an appendix.
During the 114th Congress, the President submitted 43 nominations to the Senate for full-time positions in independent agencies, agencies in the EOP, multilateral agencies, and legislative branch agencies. Of these 43 nominations, 22 were confirmed, 5 were withdrawn, and 16 were returned to him in accordance with Senate rules. For those nominations that were confirmed, a mean (average) of 174.1 days elapsed between nomination and confirmation. The median number of days elapsed was 152.0.
Information for this report was compiled using the Legislative Information System (LIS) Senate nominations database at http://www.lis.gov/nomis, the Congressional Record (daily edition), the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, telephone discussions with agency officials, agency websites, the United States Code, and the 2016 Plum Book (United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions).
November 28, 2017 (R45028)
Appointments During the 114th Congress
Table 1. Appointment Action for Independent and Other Agencies During the 114th Congress
Table 3. Appalachian Regional Commission Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 5. Broadcasting Board of Governors Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 7. Central Intelligence Agency Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 9. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 11. Corporation for National and Community Service Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 13. Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency to the District of Columbia Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 15. Delta Regional Authority Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 17. Environmental Protection Agency Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 19. Federal Housing Finance Agency Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 21. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 23. General Services Administration Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 25. Millennium Challenge Corporation Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 27. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 29. National Archives and Records Administration Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 31. National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 33. National Science Foundation Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 35. Northern Border Regional Commission Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 37. Office of the Director of National Intelligence Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 39. Office of Government Ethics Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 41. Office of Personnel Management Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 43. Office of Special Counsel Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 45. Overseas Private Investment Corporation Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 47. Peace Corps Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 49. Small Business Administration Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 51. Social Security Administration Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 53. Trade and Development Agency Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 55. U.S. Agency for International Development Nomination Action During the 114th Congress
Table 57. Council of Economic Advisers Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 59. Council on Environmental Quality Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 61. Office of Management and Budget Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 63. Office of National Drug Control Policy Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 65. Office of Science and Technology Policy Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 67. Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 69. African Development Bank Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 71. Asian Development Bank Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 73. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 75. Inter-American Development Bank Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 77. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 79. International Joint Commission, United States and Canada Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 81. International Monetary Fund Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 83. Architect of the Capitol Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 85. Government Accountability Office Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 87. Government Publishing Office Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table 89. Library of Congress Appointment Action During the 114th Congress
Table A-1. Nominations and Appointments to Full-Time Positions to Independent and Other Agencies, 114th Congress
Table A-2. Appointment Action by Agency Type, 114th Congress
The President is responsible for appointing individuals to positions throughout the federal government. In some instances, the President makes these appointments using authorities granted by law to the President alone. Other appointments are made with the advice and consent of the Senate via the nomination and confirmation of appointees. Presidential appointments with Senate confirmation are often referred to with the abbreviation PAS. This report identifies, for the 114th Congress, all nominations to full-time positions requiring Senate confirmation in 40 organizations in the executive branch (27 independent agencies, 6 agencies in the Executive Office of the President [EOP], and 7 multilateral organizations) and 4 agencies in the legislative branch. It excludes appointments to executive departments and to regulatory and other boards and commissions, which are covered in other Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports.
Related CRS reports regarding the presidential appointments process, nomination activity for other executive branch positions, recess appointments, and other appointment-related matters may be found at http://www.crs.gov.1
During the 114th Congress, President Barack Obama submitted 43 nominations to the Senate for full-time positions in independent agencies, agencies in the EOP, multilateral agencies, and legislative branch agencies. Of these nominations, 22 were confirmed, 16 were returned to the President, and 5 were withdrawn. Table 1 summarizes the appointment activity.
The length of time a given nomination may be pending in the Senate varies widely.2 Some nominations are confirmed within a few days, others are not confirmed for several months, and some are never confirmed. This report provides, for each agency nomination confirmed in the 114th Congress, the number of days between nomination and confirmation ("days to confirm").
Under Senate Rules, nominations not acted on by the Senate at the end of a session of Congress (or before a recess of 30 days) are returned to the President.3 The Senate, by unanimous consent, often waives this rule—although not always.4 In the case of nominations that are returned to the President and resubmitted, this report measures the days to confirm from the date of receipt of the resubmitted nomination, not the original.
For agency nominations confirmed in the 114th Congress, a mean of 174.1 days elapsed between nomination and confirmation.5 The median number of days elapsed was 152.0.
Agency profiles in this report are organized in two parts. The first table lists the titles and pay levels of all the agency's full-time PAS positions as of the end of the 114th Congress. For most presidentially appointed positions requiring Senate confirmation, pay levels fall under the Executive Schedule. As of the end of the 114th Congress, these pay levels range from level I ($205,700) for Cabinet-level offices to level V ($150,200) for lower-ranked positions.6
The second table lists appointment action for vacant positions during the 114th Congress in chronological order. This table provides the name of the nominee, position title, date of nomination or appointment, date of confirmation, and number of days between receipt of a nomination and confirmation, and notes relevant actions other than confirmation (e.g., nominations returned to or withdrawn by the President).
When more than one nominee has had appointment action, the second table also provides statistics on the length of time between nomination and confirmation. The average days to confirm are provided in two ways: mean and median. The mean is a more familiar measure, though it may be influenced by outliers in the data. The median, by contrast, does not tend to be influenced by outliers. In other words, a nomination that took an extraordinarily long time to be confirmed might cause a significant change in the mean, but the median would be unaffected. Examining both numbers offers more information with which to assess the central tendency of the data.
Table A-2 provides summary data from the appointments identified in this report and is organized by agency type, including independent executive agencies, agencies in the EOP, multilateral organizations, and agencies in the legislative branch. The table summarizes the number of positions, nominations submitted, individual nominees, confirmations, nominations returned, and nominations withdrawn for each agency grouping. It also includes mean and median values for the number of days taken to confirm nominations in each category.
(as of the end of the 114th Congress)
Source: Table created by CRS using data from agency websites and the Legislative Information System (LIS) Senate nominations database at http://www.lis.gov/nomis.
No appointment action during the 114th Congress
Source: Table created by CRS using data from the LIS Senate nominations database at http://www.lis.gov/nomis.
Source: Table created by CRS using data from agency websites and the LIS Senate nominations database at http://www.lis.gov/nomis.
Returned 01/03/17a
a. The President may remove an IG from office, as he may remove most other appointed officials in the departments. In the case of an IG, however, the law provides that "[i]f an Inspector General is removed from office or is transferred to another position or location within an establishment, the President shall communicate in writing the reasons for any such removal or transfer to both Houses of Congress, not later than 30 days before the removal or transfer" (5 U.S.C. Appx. §3(b)).
c. The chief financial officer (CFO) may be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate or designated by the President from among agency officials confirmed by the Senate for another position (31 U.S.C. §901(a)(1)).
Albert S. Meiburg
Asst. Admin—Environmental Information
Asst. Admin—International and Tribal Affairs
Asst. Admin—Research and Development
Karl B. Brooks
Asst. Admin—Administration and Resource Management
Withdrawn 04/07/16
Asst. Admin—Water
Withdrawn 11/09/15
Asst. Admin—Air and Radiation
Denise T. Roth
c. The CFO may be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate or designated by the President from among agency officials confirmed by the Senate for another position (31 U.S.C. §901(a)(1)).
Dir.—Institute of Museum and Library Services
a. The position of IG for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) was created by P.L. 111-259, §405 (50 U.S.C. §3033). The President may remove an IG from office, as he may remove most other appointed officials in the departments. In the case of an IG, however, the law provides that "[i]f an Inspector General is removed from office or is transferred to another position or location within an establishment, the President shall communicate in writing the reasons for any such removal or transfer to both Houses of Congress, not later than 30 days before the removal or transfer" (5 U.S.C. Appx. §3(b)).
b. The President may remove an IG from office, as he may remove most other appointed officials in the departments. In the case of an IG, however, the law provides that "[i]f an Inspector General is removed from office or is transferred to another position or location within an establishment, the President shall communicate in writing the reasons for any such removal or transfer to both Houses of Congress, not later than 30 days before the removal or transfer" (5 U.S.C. Appx. §3(b)).
Withdrawn 07/30/15
Withdrawn 02/01/16
Withdrawn 03/04/15
Assistant Administrator—Latin America and the Caribbean
Notes: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent establishment as defined by 5 U.S.C. §104, with certain limitations (22 U.S.C. §6563(a)). The USAID administrator "shall report to and be under the direct authority and foreign policy guidance of the Secretary of State" (22 U.S.C. §6592).
Ann C. Barr
Asst. Admin.—Europe and Eurasia
Linda I. Etim
Asst. Admin.—Africa
Asst. Admin.—Latin America and the Caribbean
Asst. Admin.—Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance
b. According to the United States Government Manual 2016, "[t]he Council and [Office of Environmental Quality (OEQ)] are referred to, collectively, as the Council on Environmental Quality."
c. "The compensation of the Deputy Director shall be fixed by the President at a rate not in excess of the annual rate of compensation payable to the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget" (42 U.S.C. §4372(b)).
a. According to the 2016 edition of the Plum Book, the coordinator for U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement is a senior-level position (p. 5). With regard to pay for such positions, the Plum Book states, "Pay for SL [Senior Level] positions ranges from 120 percent of the rate of basic pay for GS-15, step 1 to the rate payable for level III of the Executive Schedule. For agencies without a certified performance appraisal system, SL members' pay may not exceed the rate payable for level III of the Executive Schedule. For agencies with a certified performance appraisal system, SL members' pay may not exceed the rate payable for level II of the Executive Schedule. SL members are not entitled to locality-based comparability payments" (p. 220).
Dep. Dir.—Management
Deputy U.S. Trade Rep.
No nomination action during the 114th Congress
U.S. Alt. Executive Director
c. The Deputy Comptroller General's term expires upon the appointment of a new Comptroller General or when a successor is appointed. No one has been nominated to this office for at least 30 years.
a. Under 44 U.S.C. §303, the "annual rate of pay for the Director of the Government Publishing Office shall be a rate which is equal to the rate for level II of the Executive Schedule under subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 5."
Returned 01/03/17
Assistant. Administrator—Latin America and the Caribbean
Assistant Administrator.—Water
Director—Institute of Museum and Library Services
U.S. Alternate Executive Director
174 .1
207 .3
174 .1a
152 .0a
a. Mean and median days to confirm are calculated based on the data found in Table A-1.
A collection of such reports may be found at http://www.crs.gov/search/#/0?termsToSearch=Executive%20%26%20Judicial%20Branch%20Appointments&orderBy=Date&navIds=4294931003.
For more information on floor procedure related to Senate consideration of nominations, see CRS Report RL31980, Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure, by [author name scrubbed].
U.S. Office of Personnel Management, "Salary Table No. 2016-EX," available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/16Tables/exec/html/EX.aspx.