For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 20, 2001
Memorandum
January 20, 2001
Memorandum for the Heads and Acting Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies
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FROM:
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ANDREW H. CARD, JR.
Assistant to the President
and Chief of Staff
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SUBJECT:
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Government Hiring Controls
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The President has asked me to communicate to each of you his plan for
managing the Federal employment process at the outset of his
Administration. As you know, during the campaign, the President
expressed
his desire to make Government more responsive to the needs of citizens,
more efficient, and more accountable. The President articulated
his view
of an effective Federal Government -- one that is citizen-centered,
results-oriented, and characterized by quality of service. To
help meet
these important goals, the President proposed, among other things, to
flatten the Federal hierarchy by redistributing positions and resources
from high-level managerial positions to front-line, service delivery
jobs.
In order to ensure that, from the start of this Administration, the
President's appointees have the opportunity to make personnel decisions
consistent with his goals for Government reform, he asks that you
institute
the hiring control procedures described below.
- Effective immediately, no decision relating to hiring shall
be made
unless and until such decision is reviewed and approved
by a
department or agency head appointed by the President
after noon on
January 20, 2001. The depart-ment or agency head
may delegate this
power of review and approval consistent with applicable
law. These
procedures are sub-ject to such exceptions as the
Director or Acting
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (the
"OMB") may grant
as necessary to ensure the operation of essential
Government
functions, such as those affecting safety, health, or
national
security, and the provision of essential Government
services, such as
the delivery of social security or veterans benefits.
- For the longer term, every agency head will be instructed to
develop a
plan to permit the agency to meet the President's goal
of reducing
management ranks. This plan will be developed in
cooperation with the
Director or Acting Director of OMB.
- The actions described in paragraph 1 should be taken in
accordance
with law, including, but not limited to, statutes
setting minimum
hiring levels and appropriating funding for such
hiring.
- The use of contracts with nongovernmental entities or persons
as a
means of avoiding the procedures described in paragraph
1 is not an
acceptable practice.
- The actions described in paragraph 1 do not apply to
appointments made
with the approval of the Assistant to the President for
Presidential
Personnel and Deputy to the Chief of Staff.
- All independent agencies are encouraged to adopt the
foregoing hiring
controls.
- The Director or Acting Director of OMB will issue any
necessary
specifics regarding the procedures described in
paragraph 1.
I appreciate your cooperation. Together, with prompt and diligent
implementation of this memorandum, we can begin to work toward the
President's goal of ensuring that his Administration serves the
American
public in the most efficient and responsible manner possible.
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