House Democrats are calling on the Trump administration to provide them with a list of officials who could potentially transition into new positions under the Biden administration.
“We are writing to request information on conversions of political appointees to civil service positions during the Trump Administration at your department, agency, or office, including all component entities,” lawmakers wrote in a letter.
They added:
“Protecting the nonpartisan expertise of the career civil service is essential to the safety and security of the American people. Federal law requires that personnel actions are carried out in such a way that the ‘selection and advancement’ of employees in the civil service are ‘determined solely on the basis of relative ability, knowledge, and skills, after fair and open competition,’ rather than on the basis of ‘partisan political purposes.'”
They explained they are looking for a “full accounting” of those who have already been appointed under the Trump administration and are under consideration for positions under the Biden administration.
The lawmakers mentioned an October executive order allowing Trump appointees to transition to policy-focused positions.
“Appointments of individuals to positions of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character that are not normally subject to change as a result of a Presidential transition shall be made under Schedule F of the excepted service, as established by section 4 of this order,” the order states.
The House Democrats said it is crucial they receive the list from the Trump administration.
“The creation of this schedule would be a dramatic change in the composition of the civil service and expose it to undue political influence and intimidation. It is critical that Congress receive timely information about any potential and actual conversions made pursuant to this Executive Order,” they wrote.
The former vice president unveiled his new foreign policy and national security team on Tuesday and is expected to introduce his economic team next week, as IJR previously reported.