Thread by @lydiadepillis

NEW from me: The Trump administration has requested to convert dozens of political appointees into career civil service positions this year, allowing them to stay in government after he's gone. We have the documents: propublica.org/article/how-do…

This "burrowing" process happens at the end of every presidency, and @USOPM requires that all conversion requests be submitted for its review, so as to make sure the correct hiring protocol was followed. Those lists are then submitted to Congress, but usually not shared publicly.

Here they are for the first three quarters of this year: beta.documentcloud.org/app?q=project%…
OPM denied five requests because it "could not conclude the appointment was free of political influence and complied with merit system principles.”

So far Trump hasn't made that many more requests than previous administrations, but there are some with some clear partisan or ideological leanings. (Read the story). The hiring agencies say that the positions were subject to open competition and correct procedures were followed.

There is now some concern that "burrowing" could accelerate as the Trump administration implements a new executive order that strips some higher-level career civil service members of protections, potentially allowing them to be replaced more quickly.

Anyway read the story and look at the lists and drop me a line if you know stuff that we should look into! propublica.org/article/how-do…

Oh look, the Senate Veterans Affairs committee Democrats just set a letter noting another one: veterans.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/…