Joe Biden has picked0nominees to fill key roles in his administration so far

We are tracking 790 government positions among about 1,250 that require Senate confirmation.

483

positions have no
nominee yet.

3

nominees have been
announced.

44

are being considered
by the Senate.

11

have been confirmed
by the Senate.

Additionally, we have identified 249 appointees so far who are serving in termed positions or who were held over from previous administrations.

Presidents are required to fill roughly 4,000 politically appointed positions in the executive branch and independent agencies, including more than 1,250 that require Senate confirmation. The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service are tracking nominees for roughly 800 of those 1,250 positions, including Cabinet secretaries, chief financial officers, general counsels, ambassadors and other critical leadership positions.

President Biden’s government transition, beset by delays stemming from the late flip of Senate control to Democrats, has lagged in comparison with his predecessors’ transitions.

None of Biden’s Cabinet secretaries who lead the largest federal departments were confirmed on Inauguration Day, compared with Trump’s two and Obama’s six secretaries confirmed on Day 1. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was the first to win Senate approval two days later. Trump and Obama had 15 Cabinet secretaries in place within the first 100 days.

[The officials Joe Biden picked to fill his Cabinet]

The Senate did approve Avril Haines, Biden’s nominee for director of national intelligence, a role that is also at the Cabinet level, on Day 1.

To fill the positions tracked here, Biden must formally nominate candidates to be confirmed by the Senate as part of its “advice and consent” responsibilities under the Constitution. From announcement to confirmation, a nominee must pass through several steps, including a formal nomination, a referral to at least one Senate committee, a committee hearing and an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.

[We also tracked political appointees during Donald Trump's presidency]

The tracker will be updated at least twice per day as more positions are considered and filled. Researchers are also working to identify appointees who will continue to serve in termed positions or who were held over from previous administrations. For data questions, please contact tracker@ourpublicservice.org.