Political-to-Career Conversions ("Burrowing In") (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
July 30, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF12720 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Barbara L. Schwemle |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
Some individuals who are serving in appointed (noncareer)
positions in the executive branch convert to career positions
in the competitive service, the Senior Executive Service
(SES), or the excepted service. This practice, commonly
referred to as “burrowing in,” is permissible when laws and
regulations governing career appointments are followed.
While such conversions may occur at any time, they
frequently do so during the transition period between
Administrations.
Generally, these appointees were selected noncompetitively
and are serving in such positions as Schedule C, noncareer
SES, or limited tenure SES that involve policy
determinations or require a close and confidential
relationship with the department or agency head and other
top officials. Career employees, on the other hand, are to be
selected on the basis of merit and without political
influence following a fair and open process evaluating their
knowledge, skills, and experience compared against that of
other applicants. The tenure of noncareer and career
employees also differs. The former is generally limited to
the terms of the Administrations in which they are
appointed or serve at the pleasure of the persons who
appointed them. The latter constitute a workforce that
continues the operations of government without regard to
the change of Administrations.
Beyond the fundamental concern that the conversion of an
individual from an appointed (noncareer) position to a
career position may not have followed applicable legal and
regulatory requirements, “burrowing in” can raise other
concerns. Observers might raise concerns about potential
outcomes of the decision (whether valid or not), such as
that an appointee converting to a career position may limit
the promotion opportunities for other employees—who
were competitively selected for their career positions
following examination of their knowledge, skills, and
experience—or that the individual who is converted to a
career position may seek to undermine the work of the new
Administration whose policies may be different from those
that he or she espoused when serving as an appointee. Both
perceptions may increase the tension between political and
career staff and hinder the effective operation of
government, which relies on career staff to provide the
continuity and expertise that underpins it. Public
administration literature emphasizes the importance of
effective working relationships between noncareer and
career staff.
