The top senators with oversight of the Homeland Security Department are asking President Trump to swiftly take action on the growing number of vacancies among the agency’s top ranks, saying the unprecedented number of unfilled positions is preventing it from fulfilling its mission.
Seven of the 18 posts requiring Senate confirmation are currently vacant without a nominee pending, including three top positions. While Trump has repeatedly expressed his preference for leaders who serve in an acting capacity because it gives him more flexibility, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and ranking member Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said that strategy was hurting the department.
