Burrowing In

By Robert Brodsky

The Government Accountability Office has found that more than 100 former Bush administration officials converted to career positions at federal agencies through a process known as "burrowing in."

In a brief report released today, the watchdog found that 143 that former political appointees and congressional employees from 26 federal agencies converted to career spots from May 1, 2005, through May 30, 2009. Eighty (56 percent) of the 143 reported conversions were made by five agencies: the Departments of Justice (32), Homeland Security (18), Defense (13), Energy (9), and Commerce (8). Sixteen other agencies reported no such conversions.

The controversial practice of "burrowing in" is when agencies allow appointees to remain in government at the end of an administration by giving them career jobs without making them go through a fully competitive application process. In November, the Office of Personnel Management pledged to crack down on the practice.