Political appointees move to civil service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Several key political appointees are jockeying to secure more permanent civilian posts around Washington, a review of federal agencies indicates.

The transfer of political appointees into permanent civil service positions, called "burrowing," does two things: It creates job security for employees and it prevents, at least initially, President-elect Barack Obama from installing preferred appointees in key posts once he takes the oath of office in January, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The White House disputed the story. Spokeswoman Dana Perino said as a "matter of policy, the White House has not encouraged non-career appointees to seek career positions in order to further the president's policies.

"The White House doesn't play a role in that career hiring process. There's a very specific process that OPM had put forward, the Office of Personnel Management, that gives guidelines for people who are eligible to apply for career positions. Once they do that, they are handled on a case-by-case basis by OPM, and the review is conducted by career employees," Perino said.

The Interior Department's top lawyer moved six key deputies -- including two now-former political appointees involved in controversial decisions -- into senior civil service posts, the Post reported. Similar efforts were happening in other agencies, too, such as the departments of Labor and Housing and Urban Development and the Senior Executive Service.

Alex Bastani, a representative at the Labor Department for the American Federation of Government Employees, said his organization was upset at the burrowing.

"Everyone should have an opportunity to apply for these positions," Bastani told the Post. "And certainly career people who don't have partisan bent and have 10 or 15 years in their respective fields should have a shot at these positions."

Kerry Weems, acting chief of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said he discourages political staff from seeking career slots.

"It typically doesn't work out for either party," said Weems, a career employee who said he expects to leave when the Obama administration takes over.