Confirmations for key Trump Administration positions continue apace as 21 of the 22 cabinet-level nominees have now been confirmed by the Senate. This is in addition to the April 7 confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch to serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The only outstanding cabinet-level nomination is that of Robert Lighthizer to serve as U.S. Trade Representative. Mr. Lighthizer was reported favorably out of the Senate Finance Committee on April 25, but his nomination has not yet been taken up by the full Senate.

President Trump continues to be behind his predecessors in terms of the rate of both confirmations and nominations. Of the 556 key positions identified by the Partnership for Public Service as requiring Senate confirmation, 27 have been confirmed, 41 have been formally nominated, 23 have been announced but not formally nominated, and 465 have no nominee. 100 days into his presidency, President Obama had 69 appointees confirmed and 118 appointees nominated but not yet confirmed. By day 100, President Bush had 35 positions confirmed and 50 others nominated but not yet confirmed.

Takeaway: The Trump Administration has been comparatively slow selecting nominees for the more than 1,200 Senate confirmable positions. Likewise, the Republican-controlled Senate has taken longer than previous administrations to confirm appointees, averaging 30 days versus President Obama's average of 24 days and President George W. Bush's average of 8 days.