Bush Administration Increases Number of Political Appointees; Minority and Female Appointees Plunge |
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A new
report
released by Rep. Waxman, Rep. Danny Davis, and other
Committee Democrats finds that in the Bush Administration's
first
five
years, the number of political appointees on the federal
payroll has soared while the number of minority and
female political appointees has declined dramatically.
Specifically, the report finds:
- The Bush Administration has expanded the
number of political appointees in the federal government.
In the President’s first five years in office,
over 300 new political appointees have been added
to the federal payroll. The number of “Schedule
C” political appointees, who are hired without
public transparency or congressional approval, has
increased by over 400, from 1,229 in 2000 to 1,640
in 2005, an increase of 33%.
- The Bush Administration has favored white
males in its political appointments. Since
2000, the Administration has added 564 white political
appointees and reduced the number of minority political
appointees by 273, representing a 50% decline in
the proportion of minority political appointees
serving
in the federal government. In 2000, 26% of political
appointees were minorities. By 2005, the proportion
was just 13%. And as a proportion of all political
appointees, female appointees have declined from
45% of political appointees to 36% over the same
period.
- The Bush Administration has reversed progress
made during the Clinton Administration. The
Clinton Administration reduced the overall number
of political
appointees by 17%, increased the proportion of
female political appointees by 15%, and more than
doubled
the proportion of minority political appointees.
All three trends have been reversed in the Bush
Administration.
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