A little over a year after Trump’s election, only 203 positions have been confirmed out of 614 key positions requiring Senate confirmation. This translates over into 33 percent of Senate-confirmed positions filled. 148 positions have had formal nominations sent in while 253 have no nominee at all. That percentage is not even including positions that do not require Senate confirmation such as Schedule C appointments.

In comparison to past administrations, the Trump administration has had one of the most turbulent and slowest political appointment processes. In President Obama’s first 100 days, he had nominated a total of 176 political appointees whereas President Trump had only nominated 60. President Trump’s nominees also have had the longest confirmation process compared to the previous four administrations. According to the Washington Post, “the median wait time between official nomination and full Senate vote (or presidential withdrawal) was just one day. Trump’s median was 25 days.” In addition, Trump’s nominees have received the most “no” votes in Senate confirmation hearings since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

In the big picture, the problematic appointment process and breadth of vacancies hurt departments and agencies, which then hurts their ability to fulfill duties and services that benefit us as citizens and our place in the international community. There is currently no director or deputy director for the Peace Corps. The United States Agency for International Development has only one out of eleven positions filled. There are an alarming number of vacancies in the State Department with many ambassador positions lacking even a nominee. There are no nominees for ambassadors to Syria, Saudi Arabia or Korea to name a few, and only one nominee announced for Russia.

These countries all represent an important part of international affairs, whether that be in regards to terrorism or nuclear weapons. The lack of ambassadors damages our international relationships and our ability to respond in international crises. Thus, the issues that have come about and continue to plague the appointment process– whether that be because of contextual factors or President Trump’s own mishaps– have bigger implications for us, our government and the world.