Statement of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Ranking Minority Member

Committee on Governmental Affairs

June 8, 2000

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I am pleased to join with Senators Thompson, Levin, Durbin, Voinovich, Collins and Akaka to introduce this legislation, which will help improve the transition from one Presidential Administration to the next by providing training and other assistance.

Each newly elected President has the power to bring into government, with the advice and consent of the Senate, his or her own selection of political appointees to manage key agencies and offices within the Executive Branch. However, new administrations face a series of hurdles they must overcome to accomplish this essential task before they can begin to govern. For example, new administrations often lack critical information about the jobs they must fill. Individuals without prior government experience who are selected for key positions may be unfamiliar with how to work with Congress and the media and may run the risk of missteps early in their tenure. But perhaps most importantly, the process by which these individuals are nominated and confirmed has fallen into increasing disarray in recent years. Knowledgeable observers have warned that it could take until November 2001 before all the senior members of the new Administration are vetted and confirmed, due to factors such as lengthier background checks, burdensome and duplicative financial disclosure forms, and a more contentious Senate confirmation process.

The bill we are introducing today is a first step in responding to these problems. It provides for training and orientation of high-level Presidential appointees, to better prepare them for the challenges of their new positions. It provides for the preparation of a `transition directory' containing essential information about the agency structure and responsibilities these new appointees will face. Our bill directs the Office of Government Ethics to study ways to streamline the current financial disclosure process, while still ensuring disclosure of possible conflicts of interest.

More may need to be done. Several studies are underway to look at how we can further improve the transition process, including the Presidential Appointee Initiative and the Transition to Governing Project. I commend those undertaking these studies and their efforts to provide assistance to the upcoming crop of nominees, and I look forward to recommendations for future action.