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

We are tracking 806 government positions among about 1,200 that require Senate confirmation.

94

positions have no
Biden nominee.

5

picks are awaiting
formal nomination.

146

nominees are being
considered by the Senate.

400

have been confirmed
by the Senate.

Additionally, we have identified 161 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 1,200 that require Senate confirmation. The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service are tracking nominees for roughly 800 of those 1,200 positions, including Cabinet secretaries, chief financial officers, general counsels, ambassadors and other critical leadership positions.

Any new administration faces hundreds of openings at the same time it’s grappling with other urgent challenges. President Biden is hardly the first incoming president to struggle with filling key positions.

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.

The tracker will be updated weekly on Mondays as more positions are considered and filled. For data questions, please contact tracker@ourpublicservice.org.

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