Why This Administration Can't Fill Its Jobs

"The best line of Donald Trump's three-hour-plus Cabinet meeting last week came not from the president but from Marco Rubio. "Personally, this is the most meaningful Labor Day of my life, as someone who has four jobs," said Rubio, who was serving as secretary of state, acting national security adviser, acting archivist of the United States, and acting administrator of USAID. (He's since handed the latter to Russell Vought, who now also has three titles.) Three of these roles are subject to Senate confirmation; Rubio has been confirmed, and for that matter nominated, only as secretary of state. Trump has not put any nominee forward for the other two positions."

"From top roles on down, the Trump administration continues to struggle to find people who can and will fill jobs, leaving the president to rely on a small circle of advisers, each playing multiple roles. The result is short-staffing and conflicts of interest that help explain why the executive branch has been bad at accomplishing not only its statutory responsibilities but also some of its political goals."

"Consider Stephen Miran, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Trump has nominated him to fill a recently vacated seat on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors. Miran told senators during a hearing yesterday that if he is confirmed, he will not resign from the CEA. "I have received advice from counsel that what is required is an unpaid leave of absence from the Council of Economic Advisers," Miran said. "And so, considering the term for which I'm being nominated is a little bit more than four months, that is what I will be taking." (Miran said that if confirmed to a full term, he would resign.)"

The administration has struggled to fill executive-branch positions, forcing a small circle of advisers to assume multiple roles, sometimes without Senate confirmation. Marco Rubio simultaneously served as secretary of state, acting national security adviser, acting archivist, and acting USAID administrator before handing one post to Russell Vought. Several key roles remain unfilled and un-nominated. Stephen Miran, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, was nominated to the Federal Reserve and said he would take unpaid leave from the CEA rather than resign during a short term. The overlap of duties creates short-staffing, conflicts of interest, and hinders statutory and political objectives.

Read at The Atlantic