Biden is firing some top Trump holdovers, but in some cases, his hands may be tied

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Biden is firing some top Trump holdovers, but in some cases, his hands may be tied

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Politics

Biden is firing some top Trump holdovers, but in some cases, his hands may be tied

By Lisa Rein and Anne Gearan
Jan. 24, 2021 at 12:24 p.m. EST

President Biden is trying to shake a Trump hangover in the federal government by acting to remove some holdovers and install his own appointees, but a quiet push to salt federal agencies with Trump loyalists is complicating the new president’s effort to turn the page.

The Biden team, showing a willingness to cut tenures short, moved quickly last week to dump several high-profile, Senate-confirmed Trump appointees whose terms extended beyond Inauguration Day — in some cases by several years. ... They include the surgeon general, the National Labor Relations Board’s powerful general counsel, and the heads of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

But other, lower-profile Trump loyalists, some of whom helped carry out his administration’s most controversial policies, are scattered throughout Biden’s government in permanent, senior positions. And identifying them, let alone dislodging them, could be difficult for the new leadership. ... The Jan. 16 appointment of Michael Ellis, a former GOP operative who served in the Trump White House, as the National Security Agency’s top lawyer caused such a furor that he was placed on paid leave within hours of taking office.

And in the former president’s final months and weeks, dozens of other political appointees had their status similarly converted to permanent civil service roles that will allow them to stay in government for years to come. These new career officials are protected from partisan removal unless the new administration discovers that they got their jobs illegally — without competition and because of their political affiliation.

{snip}

Lisa Rein
Lisa Rein covers federal agencies and the management of government in the Trump administration. At The Washington Post, she has written about the federal workforce; state politics and government in Annapolis, and in Richmond; local government in Fairfax County, Va.; and the redevelopment of Washington and its neighborhoods. Follow https://twitter.com/Reinlwapo

Anne Gearan
Anne Gearan is a White House correspondent for The Washington Post, with a focus on foreign policy and national security. She covered the Hillary Clinton campaign and the State Department for The Post before joining the White House beat. She joined the paper in 2012. Follow https://twitter.com/agearan

[Chainfire]

1. Perhaps he could redefine their job duties

"Yesterday, I led a bureau of 1,000 workers, today, I sharpen pencils."

[TigressDem]

2. Just wait until they act a fool.... then check out how they got the job....

IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY tRUMP hired people?

These new career officials are protected from partisan removal unless the new administration discovers that they got their jobs illegally — without competition and because of their political affiliation.

[machoneman]

3. I think most were hired/installed illegally. In tune with most Trumpian...

...f@ck-ups, rules were bent, bypassed, invented and more to install said loyalists.

I do think because the higher level Trumpians NOT protected by civil service rules THOUGHT Trump would get a 2nd term, they steam-rolled any and all rules to get more of their dirty ilk hired. Hence, they broke all kinds of rules since with another 4 years to go, they'd have plenty of time to torpedo any laws, rules. etc. in their respective departments and issue all kinds of dubious contracts.

Guess again you losers!

[twin_ghost]

4. He can make them sit at a empty desk and strip them of any of their powers. n/t

[scarletwoman]

5. Kick for more visibility.