Show of hands… how many of you hate our bloated federal bureaucracy? OK, all of you.
But now we have a bit of a dilemma: How do we cut back on this mutant beast filled with unelected bureaucrats, but still keep appointed offices as close to the voters as possible?
On one hand, we have a number of nominees answering to our elected representatives in the US Senate; one the other, the same senators bogged down with a seemingly impossible number of hearings and votes.
According to the Center for Presidential Transition, there are “About 1,200 positions across the federal government” that require hearings and be voted on by the US Senate. You read that right — 1,200.
As noted by the federal government’s Congressional Research Service, below listed is just four pages of a 51-page listing of all the various presidential nominees requiring senate approval.
But as you peruse the below list, can you think of any two or three offices that could be merged; and other layers of the onion that could be done away with completely?
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Full-Time Positions
Department of Agriculture
- Secretary
- Deputy Secretary
- Under Secretary—Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
- Under Secretary—Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services
- Under Secretary—Food Safety
- Under Secretary—Marketing and Regulatory Programs
- Under Secretary—Natural Resources and Environment
- Under Secretary—Research, Education, and Economics
- Under Secretary—Rural Development
- Under Secretary—Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs
- Assistant Secretary—Civil Rights
- *Assistant Secretary—Congressional Relations
- *Chief Financial Officer
- General Counsel
- Inspector General
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission (political balance required)
- Commissioner—five positions (five-year terms of office—Chair must be confirmed as both a member and as chair)
- Farm Credit Administration (political balance required)
- Member—three positions (six-year terms of office)
Part-Time Positions
- Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac), Board of Directors
- *Member—5 (of 15 total) positions (indefinite terms of office; political balance required)
Senate Committee on Armed Services
Department of Defense
- Secretary
- Deputy Secretary
- Under Secretary—Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
- Under Secretary—Comptroller/*Chief Financial Officer
- Under Secretary—Intelligence
- Under Secretary—Personnel and Readiness
- Under Secretary—Policy
- Deputy Chief Management Officer
- Principal Deputy Under Secretary—Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
- Principal Deputy Under Secretary—Comptroller
- Principal Deputy Under Secretary—Intelligence
- Principal Deputy Under Secretary—Personnel and Readiness
- Principal Deputy Under Secretary—Policy
- Assistant Secretary—Acquisition
- Assistant Secretary—Asian and Pacific Security Affairs
- Assistant Secretary—Global Strategic Affairs
- Assistant Secretary—Health Affairs
- Assistant Secretary—Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs
- Assistant Secretary—International Security Affairs
- *Assistant Secretary—Legislative Affairs
- Assistant Secretary—Logistics and Materiel Readiness
- Assistant Secretary—Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs
- Assistant Secretary—Operational Energy Plans and Programs
- Assistant Secretary—Readiness and Force Management
- Assistant Secretary—Research and Engineering
- Assistant Secretary—Reserve Affairs
- Assistant Secretary—Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict
- Assistant Secretary—Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities
- Director—Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation
- Director—Defense Research and Engineering
- Director—Operational Energy Plans and Programs
- Director—Operational Test and Evaluation
- Assistant to the Secretary—Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs
- General Counsel
- Inspector General
- Judge—U.S. Court of Military Commission Review—2 positions
- Military Officers (commissions and promotions)
Department of the Air Force
- Secretary
- Under Secretary
- Assistant Secretary—Acquisition
- *Assistant Secretary—Financial Management/Comptroller
- Assistant Secretary—Manpower and Reserve Affairs
- Assistant Secretary—Installations, Environment, and Logistics
- General Counsel
Department of the Army
- Secretary
- Under Secretary
- Assistant Secretary—Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology
- Assistant Secretary—Civil Works
- *Assistant Secretary—Financial Management/Comptroller
- Assistant Secretary—Installations and Environment
- Assistant Secretary—Manpower and Reserve Affairs General Counsel
Department of the Navy
- Secretary
- Under Secretary
- *Assistant Secretary—Financial Management/Comptroller
- Assistant Secretary—Energy, Installations, and Environment
- Assistant Secretary—Manpower and Reserve Affairs
- Assistant Secretary—Research, Development, and Acquisition General Counsel
Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Chairman (two-year term of office)
- Vice Chairman (two-year term of office)
Chief of Staff (Army) (four-year term of office)
Chief of Naval Operations (four-year term of office)
Chief of Staff (Air Force) (four-year term of office)
Commandant of the Marine Corps (four-year term of office)
Chief of the National Guard Bureau (four-year term of office)
Department of Energy
- Under Secretary—Nuclear Security/Administrator—National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Principal Deputy Administrator—NNSA
- Deputy Administrator—Defense Programs—NNSA
- Deputy Administrator—Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation—NNSA
- Assistant Secretary—Environmental Management
- Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (political balance required) Member—five positions (five-year terms of office)
National Reconnaissance Office
- Director
- Inspector General
National Security Agency
- Director
- Inspector General
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (political balance required)
Judge—5 positions (15-year terms of office)