Nicolai Haugsted
Trump hands himself more power as senior officials keep leaving, report says
Donald Trump’s second administration is losing senior officials at a pace that significantly exceeds even the turnover seen during his first term, according to a new analysis that paints a picture of mounting vacancies across key government departments.
Figures compiled by The Hill and the Partnership for Public Service suggest the White House has experienced a sharp rise in resignations, dismissals and departures, while many of the vacant posts remain unfilled.
Turnover reaches new highs
The analysis found that 27 Senate-confirmed officials left the administration during its first 18 months—up from 11 during the same period of Trump’s first presidency.
According to the Partnership for Public Service, that represents a 145% increase. The report also concludes that turnover has been roughly six times higher than the average recorded during the opening 18 months of the George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden administrations.
Several high-profile Cabinet members have also exited in recent months.
Kristi Noem was dismissed in March following a series of controversies, while Attorney General Pam Bondi was removed in April after criticism surrounding the handling of the Epstein files and her failure to pursue investigations Trump reportedly wanted prioritized. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer also resigned the same month following allegations of potential misconduct and multiple complaints.
Vacancies continue to grow
According to the report, four additional Senate-confirmed officials departed during the first two weeks of the month alone.
Among them were former Energy Department Chief Financial Officer Tina Pierce and Major General John Bartrum, who served as Under Secretary for Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Other agencies have also experienced heavy turnover, with four senior officials leaving the Department of Health and Human Services and six departing the Treasury Department.
Researchers found that officials stayed in their roles for an average of around eight months—only slightly longer than the roughly five-month confirmation process required to secure the positions.
Fewer nominees, more acting officials
While departures continue to mount, the report says replacements have not kept pace.
Trump has reportedly nominated just 126 people to Senate-confirmed positions since the beginning of the year, fewer than any president since Ronald Reagan and 91 below the historical average calculated across administrations from Reagan through Biden.
According to report author Chris Piper, the growing number of vacancies has broader consequences than simply reducing staffing levels.
“Each seat left to an acting official is one the president can fill on his own terms without the Senate’s advice and consent: no vetting, no confirmation hearing, no vote.”
Piper also argued that the increasing reliance on interim appointments makes it harder for the public to determine who is leading federal agencies because acting officials are frequently neither formally announced nor publicly listed.
Summing up the trend, he said the administration is facing:
“A widening set of vacant posts increasingly filled by acting officials the president can install without Senate confirmation.”
