President-elect Donald Trump speaks to the media as Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., look on at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 8, 2025. Trump is pushing Senate Republicans to quickly confirm his nominees.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks to the media as Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., look on at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 8, 2025. Trump is pushing Senate Republicans to quickly confirm his nominees. Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images

OPM clears Trump’s beachhead teams for landing

Existing authorities allow the president-elect to make certain temporary appointments during the transition to a new administration.

The Office of Personnel Management on Wednesday sent guidance to agency heads outlining transition authorities that President-elect Donald Trump could use to immediately place his nominees in temporary positions at federal agencies and departments. 

Although Trump is pushing Senate Republicans to expeditiously confirm his picks, he will have the authority to appoint individuals, for up to 30 days, to advisory or consultative senior executive service positions while they’re awaiting confirmation. 

Likewise, cabinet-level agencies will be able to make five noncareer SES appointments and other agencies can institute up to three such appointments, which is standard. Such appointments must be made by Feb. 15 and also can only last for 30 days. 

The bulk of Trump’s temporary appointments will come from a third category. Agencies and departments, generally during the year after Inauguration Day, can make a certain number of appointments for confidential or policy-determining positions under temporary transition schedule C authority. Individuals can be appointed under such an authority for two 120-day periods to support agencies’ transition to a new administration. 

Many small agencies can only make three such appointments, but a few are authorized for substantially more based on the number of Schedule C appointees in the department. For example, the Agriculture Department can bring on 93 individuals under TTC. 

Trump made 536 temporary appointments, dubbed “beachhead” officials, in his first term. In some cases, these individuals stayed on at their agencies past the expiration of their terms. 

The Partnership for Public Service, which runs the Presidential Transition Center and advises incoming and outgoing administrations on the transition process, highlighted the temporary authority from OPM as a key method through which a new administration can start governing.

The deployed individuals are “intended to serve as temporary appointees until Senate-confirmed officials are in place, and help lay the groundwork for the new administration’s priorities,” the group wrote in its 2024 transition guide. While they can serve for several months, they “generally lack authority to make policy given their temporary status.” 

As an example, OPM said a Trump nominee could serve as a “senior adviser to the secretary” who could weigh in on matters “pertaining to policies, priorities and program direction of the department and to its structure, organization and operation.” The adviser could work on special assignments, the impact of proposed policies and coordinate with department officials and other stakeholders.

Trump’s team said in 2017 that it was “locked and loaded” on day one to govern when it sent more than 500 political appointees to agencies throughout the government after the president took the oath of office. Both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama used day one beachhead teams, but to a lesser extent and for more specific roles than Trump. Bush said at the time his temporary appointees would block any rules or statements that aligned with Clinton administration priorities.

By contrast, Biden swore in 1,100 appointees on his Inauguration Day. Trump is far outpacing Biden for his longer-term nominees, however. Trump has announced 92 individuals he intends to nominate, compared to 32 at this point for Biden. Several Senate committees will begin holding confirmation hearings next week.