Sens.: Downsize Appointees

THE DAILY FED

Senators: Downsize Appointees

Sens. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., and John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced S. 38, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates would save $390 million over six years.

"As we move forward to implement the National Performance Review recommendations to reduce the number of government employees, streamline agencies, and make government more responsive, we should also rightsize the number of political appointees, ensuring a sufficient number to implement the policies of any administration without burdening the federal budget with unnecessary, possibly counterproductive political jobs," Feingold said.

Feingold and McCain based their bill on the findings of a recent Twentieth Century Fund task force on political appointees and a 1989 commission led by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

From 1960 to 1992, the number of political appointees skyrocketed 430 percent, according to Paul Light, who was written several books on executive branch management. The General Accounting Office reported in 1994 that the median length of service for political appointees was 2.1 years. Positions are often left vacant because of the lengthy hiring process for appointees.

The House approved a proposal similar to the Feingold/McCain bill last year, but it was never passed by the Senate. S. 38 has been referred to the Governmental Affairs Committee.

The bill was introduced the day before Commerce Secretary-designate William Daley pledged to cut 100 of the 260 politically appointed positions in his department.