Yes, it is taking longer to confirm presidential Cabinet nominees now than in the past

As Inauguration Day approaches, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated several high-profile people to his leadership team for his second term in office, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sen. Marco Rubio.

Some of his choices could face contentious confirmation hearings in the Senate, even with Republicans in control, which may cause delays in filling key Cabinet posts. Trump has said he wants the Senate to allow temporary recess appointments that don’t require the chamber’s confirmation for his next administration.

On Nov. 21, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, also said in an interview on “The Vince Coglianese Show” that he would support recess appointments, calling the current confirmation process “completely out of control.”

Recent online search trends show there’s been a lot of chatter about how long the Senate confirmation process might take and whether it could be streamlined to better allow the new administration to start fulfilling campaign promises sooner.

THE QUESTION

Is it taking the U.S. Senate longer to confirm presidential Cabinet nominees now than in the past?

THE SOURCES

• Center for Presidential Transitions
• Bipartisan Policy Center
• A research paper written by Annie Benn, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science at Colgate University, and published by the University of Chicago Center for Effective Government

THE ANSWER

Yes, it is taking the U.S. Senate longer to confirm presidential Cabinet nominees now than in the past.

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WHAT WE FOUND

It is taking the Senate longer to confirm presidential Cabinet nominees now than in the past. Research shows the Senate confirmation process has steadily increased over the past several decades, spanning multiple presidential administrations.

There are roughly 4,000 positions in the federal government that are filled by presidential appointees. More than a third of these positions require confirmation by the Senate, including Cabinet posts such as attorney general and secretary of state, according to a research paper written by Colgate University political science professor Annie Benn and the nonprofit Center for Presidential Transition.

“The Senate’s role in the confirmation process begins when it receives an official written nomination from the president regarding a prospective appointment. The nomination is then sent to the appropriate committee. Once reported out from the committee, the nomination may be called up for consideration and vote by the full Senate,” the Center for Presidential Transition explains on its website.

As of Nov. 11, 2024, the Center for Presidential Transition reported that the average Senate confirmation process takes almost three times as long now as it did during President Ronald Reagan’s administration. Benn also found that Senate confirmation times have been steadily increasing for decades, noting that the average number of days has more than doubled under presidents elected since the 1980s:

• Joe Biden: 192
• Donald Trump: 160.5
• Barack Obama: 153.3
• George W. Bush: 108.2
• Bill Clinton: 100.3
• George H.W. Bush: 64.7
• Ronald Reagan: 69.4

Many factors contribute to the length of time that nominations remain pending in the Senate, according to the Center for Presidential Transitions. One reason is that “any senator can place a ‘hold’ on a nominee’s confirmation to extract concessions on matters unrelated to the nominee’s qualifications,” the nonprofit explains.

“The lengthy Senate confirmation process has resulted in delays in filling many critical management and policy-focused positions, and some key jobs have remained vacant for years. Such vacancies make it difficult for agencies to undertake long-term planning and harm the public reliant on their services,” The Center for Presidential Transitions says.

The Bipartisan Policy Center also says that these confirmation delays often result in presidents being increasingly hampered during their first year in office, which is “a crucial time for staffing the government.”

There have been efforts to reduce the length of the confirmation process in the last decade or so, including limiting the number of appointments requiring Senate confirmation and reducing the number of votes necessary to end a filibuster on a confirmation. However, Benn’s research paper concluded it is doubtful that reducing the number of positions needing confirmation would speed up the process.

This story was reported in collaboration with Wisconsin Watch, a member of the Gigafact network, and was originally reported by Tom Kertscher. The Associated Press contributed to this report.