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Latest Presidential Appointment Updates

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

We'll list all updates to the appointment lists here. Our list of Presidential Appointments requiring Senate confirmation is here. Our list of Presidential Appointments not requiring Senate confirmation is here.

Jan 7, 2009

From Reuters:
Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing will be held on January 13th
Susan Rice's confirmation hearing will be on January 15th.

Jan 5, 2009

Announced:
Don Gips - White House Director of Presidential Personnel
Bradley J. Kiley - Director of the Office of Management and Administration
Susan Sher - Associate Counsel to the President
Brian McKeon - Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President
Courtney O'Donnell - Communications Director for Dr. Jill Biden
Carlos E. Elizondo - Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden
Pete Souza, Chief White House Photographer

Hearing date of 1/14/09 set for Secretary of Agriculture Nominee Tom Vilsack

Announced:
David Ogden - Deputy Attorney General
Elena Kagan - Solicitor General
Tom Perrelli - Associate Attorney General
Dawn Johnsen - Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel

Jan 4, 2009

Bill Richardson withdrawn as nominee for Secretary of Commerce.
Read more...

Dec 31, 2008

Announced:
Alan Hoffman, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Sudafi Henry, Director of Legislative Affairs for the Vice President

Hearing dates set:

Jan 13 - Steven Chu - Energy
Jan 15 - Ken Salazar - Interior

Dec 30, 2008:

Hearing dates set:

Jan 8 - Tom Daschle - Health and Human Services
Jan 9 - Hilda Solis - Labor
Jan 13 - Arne Duncan - Education

Dec 24, 2008

Announced:
Nancy Sutley, Chairperson, Council on Environmental Quality
Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change
Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change
Shawn Maher, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the United States Senate
Dan Turton, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the United States House
Cassandra Butts, Deputy White House Counsel
Elizabeth Sears Smith, Deputy Cabinet Secretary
Camille Johnston, Director of Communications for Michelle Obama
Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Press Secretary for Michelle Obama
Semonti Mustaphi, Deputy Press Secretary for Michelle Obama
Bill Burton, Deputy Press Secretary
Jeanne Lambrew, Deputy Director of White House Office of Health Refor
Austan Goolsbee, Member of the Council of Economic Adviser
Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist and Economic Policy Director to the Vice President

Dec 22, 2008

Announced:
Thomas E. Donilon, Deputy National Security Advisor
Antony “Tony” Blinken as National Security Advisor to the Vice President
James B. Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State,
Jacob Lew, Deputy Secretary of State

Dec 21, 2008

Announced:
John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Jane Lubchenco, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator

Dec 20, 2008

Announced:
Karen Mills, Adminisrator, Small Business Administration
Jay Carney, Assistant to the Vice President and Director of Communications
Elizabeth Alexander, Press Secretary to the Vice President
Annie Tomasini, Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President.

Dec. 19, 2008:

Announced:
Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor
Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative
Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation

President-Elect Barack Obama to Deliver Major Speech on the Economy on Thursday

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Washington, DC –President-Elect Barack Obama will deliver a major speech on the economy at George Mason University tomorrow. He will make the case for urgent action on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will save or create over 3 million jobs while investing in priorities like health care, energy, and education that will jumpstart economic growth.

This plan will represent not just new policy, but a new approach to meeting our challenges that focuses on responsibility, accountability, and transparency so that we can rebuild confidence and trust in our economy and our markets.

Washington, DC

MAJOR SPEECH ON THE ECONOMY

The Center for the Arts

Fairfax, VA 22030

Program Begins: 11am

LA's superdelegate, DCW's superdelegate

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LAist has a great profile of DemConWatch's Mr. Super, DNC member and superdelegate Ed Espinoza:

Los Angeles doesn’t have a set Superdelegate (they’re designated by state, California claiming about 75) but LAist likes to think of Ed Espinoza as LA’s Superdelegate. This UCLA and Santa Monica High graduate loves our city. He makes good use of our coast with his surfboard, adores In & Out Burger, and has a great passion for Mexican food (which can leave him painfully hungry when in Washington D.C.) The Bruin surfer even likes house music (John Digweed's his favorite DJ.) We’re happy to have him representing us.

 

More Bush last minute appointments

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

While we were happy to see 100s of Bush nominations die last week when the old Senate adjourned, unfortunately he is still able to make appointments that don't require Senate confirmation:

President Bush made another round of last-minute appointments Tuesday, giving 45 aides, supporters and others a parting gift as he leaves office: presidential appointments to boards and councils, with terms lasting three to six years after he leaves office.

The full list as released by the White House after the jump includes attorney general Michael Mukasey, deputy national security advisor Elliott Abrams, and Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff. - CNN

 The full list follows below.

Read more...

The President intends to appoint Robert D. McCallum, Jr., of Georgia, to be a Member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarships Board, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 09/22/10.

The President intends to appoint Martin Faga, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Public Interest Declassification Board, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 10/03/11.

The President intends to appoint the following to be Members of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, for six-year terms expiring 06/19/14:

Panel of Conciliators:

James C. Boggs, of Virginia;

William Burck, of New York;

Ronald A. Cass, of Virginia;

Emmet Flood, of Maryland.

Panel of Arbitrators:

Fred F. Fielding, of Virginia;

Daniel M. Price, of Maryland.

The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the Board of Directors of the Valles Caldera Trust:

Raymond Loretto, of New Mexico, (State or Local Government Representative in New Mexico), for a four-year term beginning 01/17/09;

Virgil Trujillo, of New Mexico, (Livestock Management Representative), for a four-year term beginning 01/17/09.

The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, for the remainder of two-year terms expiring 05/03/10:

David Allen Josserand, of Florida, and upon appointment designate Chairman;

Kirk M. Bauer, of Maryland, and upon appointment designate Vice Chairman;

Steven Bornstein, of California;

Susan Lieberman Dell, of Texas;

Allyson Felix,of California;

Susan Finn, of Ohio;

Diego Gutierrez, of Illinois;

James W. Holsinger, of Kentucky;

Michelle Kwan, of California;

Robert A. Labonte, of North Carolina;

Edward R. Laskowski, of Minnesota;

Elisha Nelson Manning, of Louisiana;

David W. Marsh, of Alabama;

Leslie E. Miles, of Louisiana;

Omar Minaya, of New Jersey;

Richard F. Phelps, of Indiana;

Ruth Riley, of Florida;

Jason Sehorn, of California.

The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council:

Elliot Abrams, of Virginia, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09;

Joshua B. Bolten, of the District of Columbia, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09;

Alan I. Casden, of California, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring 01/15/11;

Michael Chertoff, of New Jersey, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09;

William Danhof, of Michigan, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09;

Sanford Gottesman, of Texas, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09;

Cheryl Feldman Halpern, of New Jersey, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09,;

J. David Heller, of Ohio, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09;

Amy Kaslow, of Maryland, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09;

M. Ronald Krongold, of Florida, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09;

Michael B. Mukasey, of New York, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09;

Daniel Silva, of the District of Columbia, for a five-year term beginning 01/16/09.

The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science, for the remainder of a three-year term expiring 12/31/11:

Sally K. Mason, of New Jersey;

Robert Y. Moore, of Pennsylvania;

Henry Yang, of California.

The President intends to appoint the following individuals to be Members of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, for the remainder of four-year terms expiring 12/03/12:

Nancy Ann Starnes, of Virginia, (Individual with a Disability);

Hans A. Van Winkle, of Texas.

The President intends to designate Lynne A. Osmus, of Virginia, to be Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, to become effective January 16, 2009.

The President intends to designate Susan E. Dudley, of Virginia, to be Acting Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget.

Not enough room for Senate Democrats

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The expanded majority of 59 Democrats in the Senate does not come problem-free for Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Reid said — with a wink — that his Democrats are actually complaining about… floor space.

"Do you know the complaints I've gained from Democrats now? They're all jammed in there. They don't have any room — the seats are too close together," Reid told The Hill in an interview. "We jammed in, over the last two years, 14 new desks on our side. They just don't know what to do about being so close together." - The Hill

They've got a little extra room now, until Senator-elect Franken and possibly Senator-desgnee Burris get seated.

But according to Politico:

Our conversations with Democratic Senators make it clear he is likely to be seated soon.

Update: Ambinder agrees:

It's pretty clear that Roland Burris, having been appointed by a duly elected governor and having the good sense to play nicely with Harry Reid and Dick Durbin, will probably be allowed to take his place in the Senate, pending further negotiations. Law trumps politics, for once.

Evening Update

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As expected, Former Senator Norm Coleman filed suit in Minnesota to stop Senator-elect Al Franken from being certified as winner of the Senate election:

Republican Norm Coleman, who received 225 fewer votes than DFLer Al Franken in the U.S. Senate recount, will challenge the result in court. He told reporters at a state Capitol news conference that a lawsuit, known as an election contest, would proceed.

Coleman said he respects the process but added: "Let's take the time to get it right." He said every vote should be counted, but only once, and that uniform standards must be applied, previewing what are expected to be central themes of his court case.

Shortly before Coleman spoke, his campaign said the lawsuit would be filed in Ramsey County shortly after 3 p.m.. 

TPM Election Central summarizes the lawsuit:

The Coleman campaign's complaint shows that they intend to fight on: the allegations that absentee ballots in 25 selected precincts were counted twice to Franken's benefit; the decision of the state canvassing board to revert to election night totals in a pro-Franken precinct where they lost one of five numbered envelopes, containing 133 ballots; to work to get rejected absentee ballots counted that local officials from around Minnesota, in both blue and red counties, have re-examined and say were properly thrown out; and to contest the inclusion of those 930 absentee ballots that were counted this past weekend -- which their own campaign agreed to have counted under a careful bargain.

Elias did say, though, that there's one thing he hadn't heard before: The Coleman campaign wants to have ballots thrown out in cases where the election officials neglected to properly initial them.

(Tmess2 has more in his post)

While Illinois Senator-designee Roland Burris is meeting with Majority Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday, the first Democratic Senator has come out in favor of Burris being seated:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein rejected the reasoning that all of the chamber's Democrats, herself included, had cited in a letter last week — that corruption charges against Burris' patron, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, tainted his appointment.

"Does the governor have the power, under law, to make the appointment? And the answer is yes," said Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, which judges the credentials of senators.
...
"If you don't seat Mr. Burris, it has ramifications for gubernatorial appointments all over America," the California senator said. "Mr. Burris is a senior, experienced politician. He has been attorney general, he has been controller, and he is very well-respected. I am hopeful that this will be settled.

Jeb Bush will not run for the Senate in Florida in 2010.

Obama will be announcing a "Chief Performance Officer" on Wednesday. Sounds very Dilbertish to me.

And we finally found out why the Obama family couldn't stay in the Blair House before Jan 15.

UPDATE: Springsteen will be playing the National Mall event on Jan 18.

New Presidential Limo to Debut at Inauguration

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President-elect Barack Obama is getting a new ride to go with his new address on Jan. 20.

General Motors Corp. recently delivered to the U.S. Secret Service a brand new presidential limousine, replacing the 2006 model Cadillac DTS presidential limousine that President George W. Bush has used.

The new limousine, dubbed the 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine, makes its debut on Inauguration Day. It's the first presidential limousine not to carry a specific model name, said GM spokesman David Caldwell. - Detroit News

Department of Defense Confirmation List

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

DemConWatch will be keeping track of all of the major staff announcements in the Obama Administration. We'll list the Position, Nominee, Committee and Hearing and Vote Information.

The following table lists all positions in the Department of Defense that require Senate Confirmation. You can see the rest of the confirmation lists here.

Information has been gathered from the Plum Book as well as several other government sites. The positions addressed in this list are marked as PAS in the Plum Book.

The latest updates can always be found on our Presidential Appointment Updates post.

Position	Nominee	Committee	Hearing Status	Vote Status
Deputy Secretary of Defense	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Technology)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Logistics and Materiel Readiness)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director of Defense (Research and Engineering)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst to the Secretary of Defense (Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (Global Security Affairs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (Homeland Defense)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (Asian & Pacific Security Affairs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Operational Test & Evaluation	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (Reserve Affairs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
General Counsel	TBA		TBD	TBD
Inspector General	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (Networks and Information Integration)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Defense (Legislative Affairs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Associate Judge , US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces	TBA		TBD	TBD
Associate Judge , US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces	TBA		TBD	TBD
Chief Judge , US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces	TBA		TBD	TBD
Secretary of the Air Force	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary of the Air Force	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisitions)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary (Financial Management & Comptroller)	TBA		TBD	TBD
General Counsel	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary (Installations, Environment and Logistics)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary (Manpower & Reserve Affairs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Secretary of the Army	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary of the Army	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Army (Financial Management & Comptroller)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Army (Installations & Environment)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs)	TBA		TBD	TBD
General Counsel, Army	TBA		TBD	TBD
Secretary of the Navy	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary of the Navy	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Navy (Manpower)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Navy (Installations & Environment)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition)	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management & Comptroller)	TBA		TBD	TBD
General Counsel, Navy	TBA		TBD	TBD
Last updated: 11/20/08

Department of Agriculture Confirmation List

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

DemConWatch will be keeping track of all of the major staff announcements in the Obama Administration. We'll list the Position, Nominee, Committee and Hearing and Vote Information.

The following table lists all positions in the Department of Agriculture that require Senate Confirmation. You can see the rest of the confirmation lists here.

Information has been gathered from the Plum Book as well as several other government sites. The positions addressed in this list are marked as PAS in the Plum Book.

The latest updates can always be found on our Presidential Appointment Updates post.

Position	Nominee	Committee	Hearing Status	Vote Status
Deputy Secretary	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Congressional Relations	TBA		TBD	TBD
Chief Financial Officer	TBA		TBD	TBD
General Counsel	TBA		TBD	TBD
Inspector General	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Administration	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Civil Rights	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Rural Development	TBA		TBD	TBD
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Marketing & Regulatory Programs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Food Safety	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition & Consumer Services	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Farm & Foreign Agricultural Services	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Research, Education & Economics	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Natural Resources & Environment	TBA		TBD	TBD
Last updated: 11/20/08

Department of the Interior Confirmation List

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

DemConWatch will be keeping track of all of the major staff announcements in the Obama Administration. We'll list the Position, Nominee, Committee and Hearing and Vote Information.

The following table lists all positions in the Department of the Interior that require Senate Confirmation. You can see the rest of the confirmation lists here.

Information has been gathered from the Plum Book as well as several other government sites. The positions addressed in this list are marked as PAS in the Plum Book.

The latest updates can always be found on our Presidential Appointment Updates post.

Position	Nominee	Committee	Hearing Status	Vote Status
Deputy Secretary of the Interior	TBA		TBD	TBD
Special Trustee for American Indians	TBA		TBD	TBD
Chairman, National Gaming Commission	TBA		TBD	TBD
Solicitor	TBA		TBD	TBD
Inspector General	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Fish & Wildlife & Parks	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, National Park Service	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, US Fish & Wildlife Service	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Water & Science	TBA		TBD	TBD
Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Geological Survey	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary, Land & Minerals Management	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Bureau of Land Management	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Office of Surface Mining	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Indian Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Last updated: 11/20/08

Department of Justice Confirmation List

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

DemConWatch will be keeping track of all of the major staff announcements in the Obama Administration. We'll list the Position, Nominee, Committee and Hearing and Vote Information.

The following table lists all positions in the Department of Justice that require Senate Confirmation. You can see the rest of the confirmation lists here.

Information has been gathered from the Plum Book as well as several other government sites. The positions addressed in this list are marked as PAS in the Plum Book.

The latest updates can always be found on our Presidential Appointment Updates post.

Position	Nominee	Committee	Hearing Status	Vote Status
Deputy Attorney General	David Ogden		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, Criminal Division	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, National Security Division	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, Office of Legal Council	Dawn Johnsen		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy	TBA		TBD	TBD
Chairman, US Parole Commission	TBA		TBD	TBD
Vice Chairman, US Parole Commission	TBA		TBD	TBD
Parole Commissioner, US Parole Commission	TBA		TBD	TBD
Associate Attorney General	Tom Perrelli		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, Antitrust Division	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, Civil Division	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, Civil Rights Division	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, Environment & Natural Resources Division	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Attorney General, Tax Division	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, National Institute of Justice	TBA		TBD	TBD
Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Office for Victims of Crime	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Community Relations Service	TBA		TBD	TBD
Chairman, Foreign Claims Settlement Commission	TBA		TBD	TBD
Member, Foreign Claims Settlement Commission	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Office of Violence Against Women	TBA		TBD	TBD
Solicitor General	Elena Kagan		TBD	TBD
Inspector General	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Federal Bureau of Investigations	Robert Mueller	Expires 9/3/11	N/A	N/A
Administrator, Drug Enforcement Agency	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Agency	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, US Marshals	TBA		TBD	TBD
Last updated: 1/5/09

Department of Treasury Confirmation List

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

DemConWatch will be keeping track of all of the major staff announcements in the Obama Administration. We'll list the Position, Nominee, Committee and Hearing and Vote Information.

The following table lists all positions in the Department of Treasury that require Senate Confirmation. You can see the rest of the confirmation lists here.

Information has been gathered from the Plum Book as well as several other government sites. The positions addressed in this list are marked as PAS in the Plum Book.

The latest updates can always be found on our Presidential Appointment Updates post.

Position	Nominee	Committee	Hearing Status	Vote Status
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury	TBA		TBD	TBD
Inspector General	TBA		TBD	TBD
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration	TBA		TBD	TBD
General Counsel	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for International Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Under Secretary for International Financial Markets & Investment Policy	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for International Economics & Development	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Domestic Finance	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Financial Institutions	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Financial Markets	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Terrorism & Financial Crimes	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Terrorist Financing	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Secretary /Designated Asst Secretary for Legislative Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Public Affairs & Director of Policy Planning	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Economic Policy	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Tax Policy	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Management & Chief Financial Officer	TBA		TBD	TBD
Treasurer of the US	TBA		TBD	TBD
Last updated: 11/20/08

Department of State Confirmation List

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

DemConWatch will be keeping track of all of the major staff announcements in the Obama Administration. We'll list the Position, Nominee, Committee and Hearing and Vote Information.

The following table lists all positions in the Department of State that require Senate Confirmation. You can see the rest of the confirmation lists here.

Information has been gathered from the Plum Book as well as several other government sites. The positions addressed in this list are marked as PAS in the Plum Book.

The latest updates can always be found on our Presidential Appointment Updates post.

Position	Nominee	Committee	Hearing Status	Vote Status
Deputy Secretary of State	James B. Steinberg		TBD	TBD
Deputy Secretary of State	Jacob Lew		TBD	TBD
Chief of Protocol	TBA		TBD	TBD
Ambassador at Large	TBA		TBD	TBD
HIV/AIDS Coordinator	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Resource Management	TBA		TBD	TBD
Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Legislative & Governmental Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Legal Adviser	TBA		TBD	TBD
Inspector General	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Intelligence & Research	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy & Public Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Public Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Educational & Cultural Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Global Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor	TBA		TBD	TBD
Ambassador-At-Large for International Religious Freedom	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary, Oceans, International Environment & Science Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Office to Monitor & Combat Trafficking in Persons	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Political Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for African Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for East Asian & Pacific Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for European Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for South Central Asian Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for International Organizational Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics & Law Enforcement Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Ambassador to the United Nations	Susan Rice		1/15/09	TBD
US Deputy Representative to the United Nations	TBA		TBD	TBD
Ambassador, US Mission to the International Atomic Energy Agency	TBA		TBD	TBD
US Mission to the Vienna Office of the United Nations	TBA		TBD	TBD
US Representative to the UN Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
US Representative to the Social & Economic Council of the United Nations	TBA		TBD	TBD
US Representative to the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe	TBA		TBD	TBD
Representative of the US to the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development	TBA		TBD	TBD
Representative of the US to the European Office of the United Nations	TBA		TBD	TBD
Representative of the US to the European Union	TBA		TBD	TBD
Representative of the US to the African Union	TBA		TBD	TBD
Commissioner International Joint Commission	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Management	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Consular Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Administration	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Diplomatic Security	TBA		TBD	TBD
Chief Financial Officer	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director General of the Foreign Service Director of Human Resources	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Verification & Compliance	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for International Security & Non-Proliferation	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary of Political-Military Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Under Secretary for Economic, Business & Agricultural Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Asst Secretary for Economic & Business Affairs	TBA		TBD	TBD
Last updated: 1/7/09

Executive Office of the President Confirmation List

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DemConWatch will be keeping track of all of the major staff announcements in the Obama Administration. We'll list the Position, Nominee, Committee and Hearing and Vote Information.

The following table lists all positions in the Executive Office of the White House that require Senate Confirmation. You can see the rest of the confirmation lists here.

Information has been gathered from the Plum Book as well as several other government sites. The positions addressed in this list are marked as PAS in the Plum Book.

The latest updates can always be found on our Presidential Appointment Updates post.

Position	Nominee	Committee	Hearing Status	Vote Status
Deputy Director, OMB	Rob Nabors	Budget	Jan 14	TBD
Deputy Director for Management- OMB	TBA	Budget	TBD	TBD
Administrator, Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs- OMB	TBA		TBD	TBD
Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management- OMB	TBA		TBD	TBD
Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy- OMB	TBA		TBD	TBD
Chairperson, Council of Economic Advisers	Christina Romer		TBD	TBD
Member, Council of Economic Advisers	Austan Goolsbee		TBD	TBD
Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality	Nancy Sutley		TBD	TBD
Member, Council on Environmental Quality	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy United States Trade Representative	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy United States Trade Representative	TBA		TBD	TBD
Chief Agricultural Negotiator	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy United States Trade Representative for Geneva	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Office of Science & Technology Policy	John Holdren		TBD	TBD
Associate Director, Science- OSTP	TBA		TBD	TBD
Associate Director, Technology- OSTP	TBA		TBD	TBD
Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Director, Office of NDCP	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Director for Demand Reduction,Office of NDCP	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Director for State, Local and Tribal Affair, Office of NDCP	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Director for Supply Reduction, Office of NDCP	TBA		TBD	TBD
Deputy Director, Office of Health Reform	Jeanne Lambrew		TBD	TBD
Last updated: 12/24/08

Have You Applied For A Job With The Obama Administration?

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If you have applied, you answered 63 questions. One of which asked about your blog posts, e-mails, and Facebook page. Along with others that asked all sorts of personal information.

Have you wondered where that information will end up?

The legal chain of custody of the paperwork is clear.

According to the National Archives, all documents created by the presidential transition are the personal property of the president-elect, not the federal government. In theory, transition staff could pack up all of the applications on Jan. 19 and send them to Chicago to be stored in Obama’s Hyde Park home.

But what’s most likely to happen is that the papers will be turned over to the Obama White House, where they’ll become official presidential records and be subject to the Presidential Records Act.

All such papers must eventually be turned over to the National Archives. Staff there will request the Obama team eventually turn over all papers only used by the transition, too, although it will be under no legal obligation to do so.

If you get to the next phase of application, you'll have to provide full financial information, which will be public. But don't worry if you get past that stage, your FBI background check is kept private. Your FBI file, however, is available under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Do you have an FBI file?

Online Surveys & Market Research

Tom Tancredo Retiring

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The AP is reporting that Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO) is done. They are unclear whether he means to retire at the end of the current term or sooner. (Yes, I know, but hope springs eternal.) They indicate that he may either plan to run for Governor of Colorado, or go back to a right wingnut think tank.

Tom has been one of the most vocal anti-immigration voices ever heard in America. He has represented the South Denver suburbs since 1999. He ran for president last year.

I wish to take a moment to repeat my favourite Tancredo quote, which was always a nice mantra on down days earlier this year:

There will never be a President McCain. (2007)

While we are of course aware that he didn't run for relection this year, we just wanted to point out that every additional day with Tancredo not in Congress is like a day with lots of sunshine.

How Much Do You Work?

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Here in the U.S.A. most people work a 5-day work week, 50 weeks a year. (Yes, I know, there's a recession and so those numbers may not be static next year). The House of Representatives, when controlled by the Republicans? Not so much.

Steny Hoyer has released the House schedule for next year, The House will be in session for 11 weeks of 5-day sessions, and 18 weeks of 4-day sessions, for the term that starts in January, and adjourns on 30 October.

The Office of the Clerk of the House has a neat table showing the sessions. The list of "days" indicates the total number of days during the stated session dates, and the far right column lists the dates that the House was not in session. The first official break was in December of 1800. As you go through the list, you'll get a sense of when the House was in session, and when they went home. List is here.

It appears that, under recent Republican control, the House didn't meet all that much. In fact, when the Democrats returned to power in 2007, "actually working" was a goal of the new leadership.

For example, in 2006, the House didn't meet in January, and in February met for three days, plus another three where there were no votes before 6:30 p.m. During those dark Bush years, the number of actual working days fell to below 250 (including those "no votes until 6:30" days, hearkening back to when Harry Truman referred to the 80th Congress as "do-nothing".

There are a number of reasons that Congress meets less now than they used to. First, it used to be a real schlep to get to DC: think horses and carriages. You came, you stayed. Eventually, you sent telegrams in lieu of messengers. Now, there is air travel, trains and cars, so it's easier to come and go. "Going home" is important to raise money, meet with constituents, and attend local meetings and events.

Well, it's important if you need to spend a lot of your time on running for re-election over staying in DC to undertake the job to which you were elected.

There is also this, written about the Republican Congress in 2006:

Then there is the strategy of the majority leadership. Getting bills passed, keeping party discipline and satisfying interest groups means folding legislation into a small number of huge omnibus bills, bringing them up with little notice and less debate, structuring the votes around restrictive rules that limit or forbid amendments, and demanding party fealty on the votes that take place by labeling them "procedural." The less time the members spend in hearings, floor debate and generally poking around the Hill, the easier it is for the leaders to get their way without scrutiny or challenge.

We'll see if that still applies in a Democratic Congress paired with a Democratic administration.

How about you?

Online Surveys & Market Research

Dem Kilroy wins in OH-15

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You lose 2 elections on Saturday, you win one on Sunday:

Now it's official: Mary Jo Kilroy will be going to Washington as the first Democrat to represent any part of Franklin County in Congress in a generation.

Final vote tallies released this evening by the Franklin County Board of Elections show that Kilroy defeated Republican state Sen. Steve Stivers by 2,311 votes out of 304,053, outside of the 0.5 percent margin to trigger a recount. - Columbus Dispatch

This puts the overall Democratic net gain in the House back to 21.

Update: In LA-4, while "early" votes were included in the totals, absentees and provisionals were not. They will be counted on Tuesday. Carmouche has not conceded, and this race isn't done yet.

LA-4: No concession, and recount coming

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The 2008 election just won't die:

John Fleming got just 356 votes more than Caddo District Attorney Paul Carmouche during Saturday night's election to determine who will be the next representative for Louisiana's 4th Congressional District.

However, after all 640 precincts were counted, Carmouche said he planned to ask for a recount of the ballots.
...
In all, there were 92,558 early and machine votes cast in the election. Provisional ballots had not been counted and are not a part of the total. Carmouche cited the uncounted provisional ballots as one reason he would not concede the race once the results had been announced.

"For me to concede at this point would be foolish. We've spent a lot of money, a lot of effort, a lot of time in this race, and there are provisional ballots that we don't believe have been counted yet because they don't usually count those (immediately after a race). Democrats usually win those by large margins so the fat lady hasn't sung yet in this thing," he said.

Jacques Berry, a spokesman for the Secretary of State's Office, said the complete but unofficial returns do not include provisional ballots - paper ballots filled out by people who arrived at their precincts, intending to vote, but whose names did not appear on the official registry. Those votes and absentee paper ballots would be included on Tuesday, when all vote totals are added together again and certified.

Louisiana law has no provision for an automatic recount, Berry said, though a losing candidate can request one. - KSLA News