Homeland Security Watch

Comment by Arnold

February 10, 2009 @ 11:22 pm

There are a great number of appointees across all the agencies, including DOD and State, that haven’t made it to confirmation yet. I wouldn’t read too much into the lack of movement on the DHS front yet.

Comment by Claire Rubin

February 11, 2009 @ 7:08 am

Congrats to you for a job well done.

Comment by Peter J. Brown

February 11, 2009 @ 11:46 am

Do we know who is replacing Paul McHale as assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense?

Comment by William R. Cumming

February 11, 2009 @ 12:39 pm

Well we know that the President read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book “Team of Rivals.” And many rivalries already in Cabinet. And otherwise. Volcker and Summers are not old friends, e.g. One of the key tell-tails in the power structure of Washington in any Administration and during that Adminstration’s existence is whether Executive Branch heads have the right to pick or reject who is appointed by the White House in their organizations. Often overlooked and actually in the second Clinton Administration, despite being named Ex Officio member of the Cabinet, James Lee Witt was only the second FEMA Director while an independent agency that had total approval over the appointees that he let into FEMA. Names from White House Personnel were often rejected. Witt was aware that of the 10 FEMA regional director slots, all non-career SES, over the years almost 50% had been removed for fraud, waste, abuse (mismanagement) and were a week rung in the FEMA heirarchy. Of course even Witt refused to delegate adequate authority and accountability to that rung of the ladder. An issue still unresolved in spite of statutory mandates to Secreatry DHS to come up with field structure. A major failure of both Ridge and Chertoff.

What is the point here! Well does the Secretary DHS get to approve or reject any appointee, whether PAS, Non-career SES, or schedule C that the White House Personnel office sends over? The answer will indicate what her real power is in the Administration. You can bet that the Secretary of STATE and Secreatary of the
Treasury know even before nomination whether they will have such counterpart clearance authority. Wishing you well Madam Secretary DHS.