Joe Biden

From Drug Safety to Immigration, Biden Leaves Key Posts Unfilled

Across the federal government, there are more than 400 positions requiring Senate confirmation for which the president has not yet put forward nominees

US President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris (L), delivers remarks on Covid-19 response and vaccinations in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington DC, on March 29, 2021. - US President Joe Biden's administration on March 29, 2021 announced a set of new actions to ensure that 90 percent of adults will be eligible for vaccination against Covid by April 19.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

As President Joe Biden approaches his 100th day in office, he has yet to fill a number of key positions throughout the federal government, which former officials and advocacy groups warn could hobble agencies responsible for the influx of migrants at the border to the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Across the federal government, there are more than 400 positions requiring Senate confirmation for which Biden has yet to put forward nominees, including the heads of the Food and Drug Administration, Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Management and Budget.

The jobs are being filled temporarily by officials limited by their acting capacity: They are unlikely to appoint the permanent staff below them or to make any structural or cultural changes. Even once nominations are made, it can take months for nominees to make it through the confirmation process and into their permanent roles — meaning a number of agencies and departments may have no permanent leaders through the summer.

Read the full story at NBCNews.com.

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