A new presidency means a new slate of political appointees, the people who help presidents carry out their policy agendas by filling top leadership positions in the executive branch. We call them political appointees because the president names the individuals who serve in each office, and to contrast them with the merit-based civil service employees who stay in their jobs as presidential administrations come and go. A typical administration includes about 4,000 political appointments, including cabinet secretaries and their top deputies, ambassadors, and US attorneys. Of these, about 1250 must be confirmed by the US Senate.

After every presidential election, the Government Publishing Office, in partnership with relevant congressional committees, publishes the complete roster of positions, nicknamed the "Plum Book" (because it lists the plum jobs in the US government).

Who has President-Elect Biden designated to fill these positions thus far?

Partnership for Public Service includes a table and Political Appointee Tracker to see the 37 nominees that have been announced.