 116th Congress, 2d Session, December 2020 | |
| Author | Committee on Oversight and Reform |
|---|---|
| Working title | Plum book |
| Language | English |
| Subject | PoliticalReference |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office,United States Government Printing Office |
| Publication place | United States of America |
| Website | https://www.govinfo.gov |
United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions (more commonly referred to as thePlum Book) is a book that lists positions in the United States government that are subject topolitical appointment. It lists around 8,000federal civil service leadership and support positions in thelegislative andexecutive branches of the federal government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment nationwide. It is a publication of theUnited States Senate'sCommittee on Governmental Affairs and theHouse of Representatives'Committee on Government Reform. A new edition is published every four years, just after eachpresidential election. All tenured positions commissioned by thepresident are published, including allofficers of the United States, their immediate subordinates, policy executives and advisors, and aides who report to these officials. Some positions are kept secret and not published due to beingclassified viaexecutive privilege.
The Plum Book originated in 1952 during theEisenhower administration to identify presidentially appointed positions within the federal government. For twenty years, theDemocratic Party had controlled the federal government. When President Eisenhower took office, theRepublican Party requested a list of government positions that the new president could fill. The next edition of the Plum Book appeared in 1960 and has since been published every four years, just after apresidential election.
Older editions of the Plum Book are held by anyfederal depository library.[1] The Government Printing Office (now theUnited States Government Publishing Office) began to make the Plum Book available as anapp for the first time in December 2012.[2] The 2020 edition was published on December 1, 2020.[3]
Plum Books are considered an important resource forpresidents-elect of the United States during theirpresidential transitions, aiding them in identifying federal government positions to which they can name appointees.[4]
As of December 2020[update], there are 7,935political appointments across theexecutive andlegislative branches of the U.S. federal government. Many of these positions must be filled by the incomingpresident every four years while others are career appointments that outlast presidential administrations.
These positions are published in the Plum Book, a new edition of which is released after eachUnited States presidential election.[5] The list is provided by theU.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
| Abbreviations for type of appointment[5] | |
| CA | Career Appointment |
| NA | Noncareer Appointment |
| PA | Presidential Appointment (without Senate Confirmation) |
| PAS | Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation |
| SC | Schedule C Excepted Appointment |
| TA | Limited Term Appointment |
| XS | Appointment Excepted by Statute |
| SES | Senior Executive Service[6] |
| Type of appointment[7] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department | CA | NA | PA | PAS | SC | TA | XS | SES | Total |
| Department of Agriculture | 130 | 46 | 3 | 14 | 157 | 1 | 1 | 147 | 499 |
| Department of Commerce | 83 | 36 | 1 | 23 | 96 | 7 | 3 | 101 | 350 |
| Department of Defense –Department of the Air Force | 16 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 45 |
| Department of Defense –Department of the Army | 29 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 73 |
| Department of Defense –Department of the Navy | 11 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 39 |
| Department of Defense –Office of the Secretary of Defense | 211 | 58 | 1 | 44 | 95 | 9 | 0 | 55 | 473 |
| Department of Education | 35 | 21 | 1 | 16 | 72 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 161 |
| Department of Energy | 133 | 25 | 0 | 23 | 123 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 335 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | 237 | 78 | 2 | 19 | 92 | 11 | 1 | 74 | 514 |
| Department of Homeland Security | 84 | 56 | 4 | 18 | 72 | 9 | 161 | 46 | 450 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | 44 | 23 | 1 | 13 | 81 | 4 | 0 | 111 | 277 |
| Department of Justice | 96 | 57 | 8 | 219 | 60 | 6 | 1 | 44 | 491 |
| Department of Labor | 32 | 23 | 2 | 16 | 108 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 196 |
| Department of State | 130 | 36 | 3 | 256 | 86 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 525 |
| Department of the Interior | 158 | 35 | 0 | 18 | 42 | 0 | 4 | 54 | 311 |
| Department of the Treasury | 92 | 25 | 3 | 35 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 237 |
| Department of Transportation | 136 | 41 | 2 | 18 | 61 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 293 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | 281 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 147 | 77 | 557 |
| Total | 1938 | 590 | 34 | 766 | 1209 | 70 | 328 | 891 | 5826 |
| Type of appointment[9] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agency | PA | PAS | SC | XS | Total |
| Architect of the Capitol | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Government Accountability Office | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Government Publishing Office | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Library of Congress | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| Total | 10 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 22 |
