IN 2009, A FEW WEEKS BEFORE PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FIRST EASTER EGG ROLL THE ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED IT HAD ORDERED 30,000 OF THE WOODEN SOUVENIR EGGS FOR THE EVENT. THIS YEAR, THE WOODWORKING SHOP IN MAINE THAT CRAFTS THOSE EGGS HAD TO PUBLICLY REMIND THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ON TWITTER — SEVERAL TIMES — THAT ITS DEADLINE WAS LOOMING. EVENTUALLY, THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE ORDERED 18,000 EGGS. PART OF THE BACKSTORY HERE IS THAT THE EAST WING OF THE WHITE HOUSE — THE FIRST LADY’S OFFICE — RUNS THE EGG ROLL, AND IT’S CURRENTLY UNDERSTAFFED. BUT THAT’S NOT THE ONLY PART OF THE GOVERNMENT CURRENTLY SHORTHANDED. CONSIDER THE PRESIDENTIALLY APPOINTED POSITIONS. TRUMP: Today I announced my plans to nominate Rex Tillerson, right? Donald Trump Rally in West Allis, Wisconsin (12/13/2016) BUT SECRETARY OF STATE REX TILLERSON IS STILL IN NEED OF A FORMAL DEPUTY. WHEN YOU LOOK PAST EARLY, HIGH PROFILE APPOINTMENTS, THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE IS —ACROSS THE BOARD — 3 WEEKS BEHIND THE HISTORICAL AVERAGE FOR TRANSITION APPOINTMENTS, ACCORDING TO THE WHITE HOUSE TRANSITION PROJECT, A NONPARTISAN GROUP THAT ANALYZES TRANSITIONS, HOWEVER, NEW YORK TIMES REPORTING SUGGESTS THAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS AS MUCH AS 2 MONTHS BEHIND RECENT STANDARDS Sheldon Whitehouse U.S. Senator (Class 1)[D] Rhode Island: There is something unprecedented going on around here with these nominations... C-Span February 9th 2017 AS OF MARCH 30TH, ONLY 9% OF LEADERSHIP POSITIONS THAT THE WHTP SAYS “STAND UP” THE PRESIDENT — IN OTHER WORDS, ARE CRITICAL TO A FUNCTIONING EXECUTIVE BRANCH — HAVE BEEN FILLED. Sheldon Whitehouse U.S. Senator (Class 1)[D] Rhode Island: ...What is unprecedented around here with these nominees is, first of all, what a hash the Trump administration made of getting them ready. They were not ready to go. They were not prepared for the ethics reviews. They were dead in the water C-Span February 9th 2017 RIGHT NOW, UNAPPOINTED POSITIONS ARE BEING DONE BY HOLDOVERS OF THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, ACTING OFFICIALS, OR NO ONE AT ALL THE STAFF OF THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER , FOR EXAMPLE, HAS GONE FROM 24 PEOPLE, DOWN TO JUST 1. THERE ARE NO TOP ADVISERS FOR SCIENCE OR TECHNOLOGY. David N. Cicilline U.S. Representative[D] Rhode Island: “President Trump has not even nominated heads to the antitrust agencies. According to the Partnership for Public Service, even though he has been in office for 60 days, President Trump has not picked a nominee for 497 of the 553 positions requiring Senate confirmation.” C-Span March 21, 2017 NOW, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS ARGUED THAT THERE IS PLENTY OF FAT TO TRIM TRUMP: “we are proposing a budget that will shrink the bloated federal government — and I mean BLOATED” (Nashville, Tennessee 3/15/2017 youtube.com / DONALD TRUMP SPEECHES & PRESS CONFERENCE) BUT MANY OF THESE POSITIONS HAVE HISTORICALLY PLAYED IMPORTANT ROLES IN GOVERNMENT. THERE IS CURRENTLY NO COMMISSIONER OF U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION OR AMBASSADORS TO GERMANY, CANADA FRANCE AND SAUDI ARABIA. THERE IS NO DIRECTOR OF THE CENSUS BUREAU, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE, OR THE NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER. THERE ARE ​51 KEY POSITIONS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ​THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HASN’T NOMINATED ANYONE FOR. ​ANOTHER ​21 IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, AND 2​6 AT THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. THE EGG ROLL MAY BE THE LEAST OF THE ADMINISTRATION’S WORRIES AT THE MOMENT, BUT FINDING THE BEST APPOINTEES TO FILL OUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAY BE AS ELUSIVE AS THOSE HIDDEN EGGS. TRUMP: WE NEED TO GET THE BEST, AND THE FINEST, AND IF WE DON’T WE’LL BE IN TROUBLE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, AND MAYBE NEVER COME OUT OF IT.