Trump, unable to provide the necessary paperwork to allow for the vetting and potential confirmation of federal appointees, has lashed out at Democrats for being what he considers "obstructionists," according to a Politico report.
The president, valiantly attempting to draw attention away from what many on Capitol Hill are calling an increasingly incapable administration, tweeted on Monday: "Dems are taking forever to approve my people, including Ambassadors. They are nothing but OBSTRUCTIONISTS! Want approvals."
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017
The sheer number of appointments waiting to be filled is staggering.
Trump, as of Monday, had offered names for only 117 of 559 key positions that need to be filled within his administration, according to the Partnership for Public Service and The Washington Post.
More than 1,200 federal government jobs are currently awaiting Senate confirmation, but very few have even seen applications submitted.
The Office of Government Ethics (OGE), responsible in part for vetting appointee clearances and determining potential conflicts of interest, has been blamed for some of the slowdown, according to South Dakota Republican Senator John Thune.
But the OGE says Trump has not provided the agency with the key financial information required for the appointment process.
A spokesperson for the agency stated that "OGE can't review reports until we receive them."
Thune added in his remarks that he considers it likely that Trump's advisers are moving intentionally slowly because they see it as an advantage for them to not have those positions filled.
But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing back at Trump. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer remarked that Trump himself is at fault, noting that many of the president's nominees had "conflicts of interest and incomplete ethics agreements when they were named."
Asked about the long delays for the White House to provide key data to vet Trump appointees, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska asked: "Do I know why it's taken so long for any of them?"
"I don't know what happens," the chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee said, answering her own question, adding: "They go into some dark hole."
Republican Senator Thune added, "Our members are frustrated. We're kind of waiting. In many cases, there's nobody on deck."
