Use novel acting appointments and political-only succession
Mandate urges placing nominees into acting dual roles during confirmation, removing some PAS requirements by statute, and legislating a durable political-only line of succession that skips career officials and lets acting Secretaries finalize regulations.
Mandate
Mandate Ch. 5 (Department of Homeland Security) — Office of the Secretary: place nominees as actings in similar positions while awaiting confirmation; seek legislation removing lower-level PAS requirements; establish politically oriented line of succession; if career employee holds leadership post, deem vacant for succession and next political assumes acting authority; acting Secretaries should finalize regulations.
Undo plan
1) Enforce FVRA limits on acting service and dual-hatting abuses.
2) Preserve career emergency succession for continuity of operations.
3) Require Senate advice-and-consent for principal officers rather than indefinite actings.
4) Codify that major rules need accountable confirmed leadership where feasible.
5) Verify: acting-official tenure logs; GAO FVRA compliance reviews.
Sources
- https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
- https://archive.org/stream/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL_djvu.txt
- https://whatisproject2025.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2025_MandateForLeadership_CHAPTER-05.pdf
- https://whatisproject2025.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2025_MandateForLeadership_SECTION-02.pdf