According to Aloysius Hogan, a spokesman for the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which oversees the FSIP, eight members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP) resigned at the request of the Biden government. The other two members who refused to resign from the panel, which resolves disputes between government agencies and working groups, were terminated by the deadline at 5pm that day.
Hours after this story was published on Saturday, Severino told CNN: “President Biden’s attempt to remove me in violation of the law exposes his lofty promises to heal all Americans and unite as mere cynical manipulation.”
Severino said in the lawsuit that he received an email on Tuesday that was sent “on behalf of President Biden” and asked to resign by 5pm on Wednesday, otherwise his appointment to the council would be terminated.
The Biden government also removed people from Voice of America, where there was public outcry over what is being considered Trump’s efforts to create a news network that would serve as an extension of his administration.
Two appointments to the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees federal property development in the DC area, have also been dismissed.
“The National Capital Planning Commission was notified by the White House on February 3, 2021 that Chairman Paul Dans and Commissioner Gibson Worsham are no longer members of the commission,” an NCPC spokesman said in a statement.
Due to the more mundane aspects of government bureaucracy, most of these boards are not household names, and these presidential appointments usually do not make national news. But in an increasingly polarized Washington, the fate of several other Trump appointments remains unclear at the last minute as it is reviewed and examined more closely.
“The Biden administration is conducting a thorough review of appointments to boards, commissions and advisory boards,” said White House spokesman Michael Gwin.
According to a White House official, as part of the review, the White House could remove individuals whose continued membership of the council would not serve the public interest.
Although the Biden government’s strategy in some cases appears to be to try to do away with advisory boards and panels altogether to rebuild them, including those in need of security clearance, it may be difficult for Biden to beat Trump’s wave. successfully undo appointments. to many of the coveted councils and councils that are a permanent part of the social scene in Washington, DC.
“We are not aware of any removal process,” John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts spokesman Brendan Padgett told CNN of the board of trustees, where Pam Bondi, the Florida attorney who appeared in Trump’s first serving team for indictment, was recently appointed to serve until September 2026.
Other appointments of loyalists include Hope Hicks, Trump’s longtime assistant appointed to the 12-member J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board; Matt Schlapp, a Republican lobbyist whose nomination to the Board of Trust Trust Fund was announced in early December; and Nick Luna, Trump’s bodyguard, who is now with Rudy Giuliani’s son in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.
In many cases, these boards were predominantly or completely filled with Trump’s allies, former advisers and supporters at the beginning of Biden’s presidency.
Last-minute presidential appointments
“It is normal that these posts are filled especially at the end of an administration. What is not normal is appointed with so little connection or qualifications,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the non-partisan partnership for public service , said.
Appointments to prestigious councils and commissions can be a glamorous part of the social scene in Washington, DC, and appointments are often responsible for making policy recommendations or advising government leaders on various topics, depending on the council.
Although these roles usually do not involve full-time salaries, recruiters may enjoy the prestige due to an appointment to a high-level board or commission, as well as some exclusive benefits. According to the center, for example, board members are eligible for trustee buses in select theaters, according to Padgett, a spokesman for the center. On other councils, members may also be eligible for allowances related to travel or government work.
Paul Light, a professor of public service at New York University who researched the political appointment process, also noted that while it is ‘very common’ for presidents to announce appointments at the end of their term of office, what sets them apart is that ‘Trump’s appointments’ about Trump – the end of the story. ‘
“Some are quite talented and have a lot of hopeful energy, but others are insulting to the agencies and boards they join,” Light said, adding that in some cases Trump’s appointments were directly opposed to the mission of the board or agency they work for. appointed. joined.
According to a White House official, Trump’s FSIP appointees were opposed to Biden’s goal of strengthening the role of unions and giving workers greater protection in the workplace.
Biden administration’s response
The day after Biden’s inauguration, Robert Reilly and Elizabeth Robbins received an e-mail with a simple message – resign their positions as director and deputy director of Voice of America immediately or be terminated.
Under the impression that their roles are protected, the two Trump tenants decide not to shut up and push them back. Reilly was first fired by the acting CEO, who then immediately appointed a new acting director, who terminated Robbins.
The emails state that “incoming leadership has the authority to select staff in whom they have personal confidence to carry out its policy objectives.” It is then said that their termination should ‘not in any way be regarded as a reflection’ of them or their performance.
Victoria Coates has also been sacked as president of the government-funded Middle Eastern broadcasting network, despite signing a two-year contract with the US Global Media Agency, she told CNN. Biden’s government called her deputy, Rob Greenway, to tell him he would also be fired, according to Coates, who said she had called on human resources over Greenway’s dismissal. Twenty minutes later, Coates said she had received an email to her personal account informing her that she had been terminated immediately and that her emails had been cut off. Coates and her attorneys sent a letter to the USAGM Attorney General stating that they believe her contracts have been violated and that they are prepared to stand trial if they are not complied with.
“This is a shocking rejection of President Biden’s call for unity and reconciliation … and a clear violation of MBN’s grants and my employment contracts,” Coates said in a statement.
What’s next for appointments?
Some appointments have told CNN in talks with individuals in multi-agency and commissions that they have been left in the dark about the status of their appointments and have heard nothing from the new Biden government.
Schlapp said he was “honored” to be appointed to the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board and that all his necessary paperwork had been completed. According to Bill Ryan, deputy director of communications for the Library of Congress, members of the Trust Fund serve trusts or other gifts to the library without payment and, among other things, by giving advice on how to invest it. “I know of no barriers or problems, and I look forward to using my experience and contacts to advance the mission of this great American institution,” Schlapp said in a statement.
Luna has also yet to hear anything about his role that has changed with the Holocaust Memorial Council.
Individuals in several governing bodies contacted by CNN said recent appointments made under the Trump administration are expected to remain on the boards. One recent nomination of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, William Ruger, told CNN he intends to serve his entire term.
“I was appointed in early December and swore in the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board two weeks ago. I look forward to serving my full term on the board in support of this very important program,” said Ruger, who is vice president is for research. and policy at the Charles Koch Institute, said in a statement last Friday.
Andy Hollinger, communications director of the American Holocaust Memorial Museum, confirmed to CNN last Friday that the Biden administration had not contacted him about the possible removal of members from the Holocaust Memorial Board. “To my knowledge, this has never happened since the first inauguration of the Council in 1980,” Hollinger said.
This story has been updated to include a statement by Roger Severino, a Trump nominee from the United States Administrative Conference Council.