Fix The Wasteful, Sloppy, Presidential Appointments Process (From RealClearMarkets)

Here is one measure of how broken and slow-moving Washington is: Left unchecked, the next President-elect will have to wait an average of six months to have appointments requiring U.S. Senate confirmation to get an up or down vote.

The failure to staff these 1,300 or so senior-level positions (no one knows the exact number – another sign of brokenness) leads to enormous waste and inefficiencies. And many of these officials whom President Biden nominated, will be sticking around for quite a while, some into 2026.

These senior-level appointees are responsible for managing trillions of dollars in federal spending, the work of 4.4 million federal civilian and military personnel, and a bevy of contractors. The current quagmire also chases away many of the best and brightest from government service.

Lexington’s Paul Steidler examines these issues in an Op-Ed for RealClearMarkets here.