Legislative Rollout Strategy for Reclassifying PAS Roles: Mapping Authority, Sequence, and Reform in Three Phases

Campaign Briefing: Decoupling Partisan Politics from Governance

2028 Presidential Campaign of Martin A. Ginsburg, RN

October 16, 2025

I. INTRODUCTION: LEGISLATING A GOVERNMENT THAT LASTS LONGER THAN A TERM

“Competency should not expire at the end of an administration. We need laws that ensure it doesn’t.”

With more than 1,200 federal positions requiring presidential appointment and Senate confirmation (PAS), the current system assigns political oversight to roles that are often managerial, administrative, or technical in nature. Many of these roles were never intended to be political; others were politicized through Cold War-era restructuring or post-Watergate suspicion.

The Career Leadership Reform Act proposes a structured, lawful transition of operational leadership away from political appointees and toward the Senior Executive Service (SES). This briefing outlines the legislative rollout plan in three phases, structured for maximum feasibility, bipartisan appeal, and sustained institutional impact.

II. STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES GUIDING LEGISLATIVE CONVERSION

1.      Statutory Alignment: We only propose legislative change where statutory language explicitly requires PAS designation.

2.      Operational Logic: If the role manages programs—not national policy—it should be professional, not political.

3.      Cross-agency Precedent: We prioritize conversions where identical SES roles already exist.

4.      Bipartisan Negotiability: We structure the phases to build trust and momentum in Congress.

III. PHASE 1: Statutorily Easiest Conversions (Low Friction, High Yield)

🔹 Criteria:

·         Statutes contain vague, permissive, or outdated PAS language

·         Role mirrors SES functions in other agencies

·         No sensitive diplomatic, political, or classified function

🔹 Sample Positions:

Department	PAS Role	Conversion Rationale
Commerce	Assistant Secretary for Economic Development	Overlaps with SES in SBA; enabling statute vague
Labor	Assistant Secretary for Administration & Management	Budgetary role; existing SES in VA, DOE
HHS	Assistant Secretary for Resources & Technology	Operational function; SES exists in NIH
Energy	Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy & Carbon Mgmt	Tech-focused; DOE SES equivalents in NETL, ARPA-E
Transportation	Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs	Mirrors FAA SES; low public visibility
Interior	Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management	Programmatic; flexible authorizing law

🔹 Legislative Action:

·         Amend authorizing statutes to replace:

“Appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate”

with: “Appointed in accordance with merit-based principles under Title 5 of the United States Code”

IV. PHASE 2: Moderate Friction Conversions (Statutorily Defined but Administratively Redundant)

🔸 Criteria:

·         Statutory PAS language is explicit, but role is largely technical

·         Parallel SES structures already function at agency or sub-agency level

·         Roles often subject to chronic vacancy, turnover, or procedural delay

🔸 Strategic Approach:

·         Make case based on inefficiency, delayed confirmations, and disrupted service delivery

·         Emphasize bipartisan cost savings and operational continuity

·         Pair each proposed reclassification with a real-world example of service disruption

🔸 Sample Positions:

Department	PAS Role	Notes
Treasury	Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy	Chronic delays in confirmations; SES tax policy roles exist at IRS
Education	Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education	SES parallels at FSA and accrediting offices
Veterans Affairs	Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning	Repetitive with SES roles across regional VA networks
Agriculture	Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs	Mirrors SES-level regional directors
DHS	Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection	Many subunits already managed by SES staff

🔸 Legislative Language:

·         Requires title-specific U.S. Code amendments

·         May require coordination with OMB and agency IGs for internal reorg certification

·         May include provisions for staggered implementation to ease transition

. PHASE 3: High Friction Conversions (Symbolic or Statutorily Embedded Roles)

🔺 Criteria:

·         PAS designation tightly integrated into agency structure by Congress

·         Positions with symbolic, public, or cross-agency significance

·         Potential Senate pushback due to oversight, confirmation power, or policy salience

🔺 Strategic Framing:

·         Frame conversion as modernization—not power reduction

·         Offer hybrid solutions: limited term SES with mandatory performance oversight

·         Target highly technical or stalled positions first to demonstrate public benefit

🔺 Sample Positions:

Department	PAS Role	Legislative Sensitivity
DOJ	Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights	Politically visible, but functionally legal-administrative
State	Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs	Non-core diplomatic function; possible pilot case
Defense	Deputy Under Secretary for Installations and Environment	Logistics-heavy; chronically vacant; SES equivalence at GSA
EPA	Assistant Administrator for Water	Technical role; operates with career SES equivalents in FEMA
HUD	Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity	High public profile but non-political in operations

🔺 Mitigation Strategy:

·         Require Senate oversight hearings for SES appointment packages

·         Use bipartisan co-sponsors to vouch for transparency and fairness

·         Pilot “merit-tracked PAS” system—SES with structured congressional notification

VI. LEGISLATIVE SEQUENCING PLAN

Timeline	Legislative Target	Outcome
Months 0–6	Phase 1 Conversion Bill (Titles I–III)	Reduce 150 PAS roles to SES
Months 6–12	Phase 2 Rollout + OPM Coordination Act	Convert another 150 roles; agency compliance
Year 2	Phase 3 Pilot with hybrid PAS/SES structures	Build trust, stabilize transitions
Year 3–4	Follow-on amendments and Title 5 modernization	Extend reforms to Inspector General appointments, board positions, and Schedule C capstone roles

Our Vision and how we will implement it if the Citizens of the united States agree and demand legislative enactment to allow it is:

“We don’t need political appointees to manage grant disbursements, oversee contract compliance, or supervise procurement. We need professionals.”

By converting roles into career SES positions, we reduce conflict, improve continuity, and save time, money, and trust. The reform does not strip away presidential prerogative—it refocuses it where it belongs: on strategy, not scheduling.

“We will rebuild the American government not by tearing it down, but by removing the politics from its foundations. This is how we staff the future—not with donors, but with professionals.”

“Change doesn’t happen all at once—it happens in waves. Each phase of this reform turns down the volume on politics and turns up the strength of professional governance.”

This plan is not just a map of conversions. It is a map of stability, predictability, and effectiveness. It is a plan for government that functions when elections end—and remains focused when campaigns resume.

“We will reform appointments in phases—starting with the most practical and finishing with the most permanent. No chaos, no surprise, and no loss of public service. This is how you modernize a government with precision, not partisanship.”

“Some reforms require courage. Others require common sense. These conversions fall into the second category.”

“Senate confirmations should be reserved for the powerful, not the procedural. We will work with Congress to remove outdated confirmation requirements from routine management jobs and return those duties to the professionals trained to carry them out.”