Beyond the hundreds of positions that require Senate confirmation, thousands of political appointments that don't require congressional approval still aren't being filled.

Transitioning in just a few months to a new administration charged with overseeing 2.2 million federal employees is never easy. With no prior government experience and few Washington insiders on the transition team, the Trump administration is hitting a steep learning curve, according to Max Stier, founding president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.

"No prior administration has done well at this," he said. "But Trump is even further behind."

The process has reportedly been slowed by Trump's close involvement in choosing nominees, and by turf wars between his inner circle and his Cabinet members.

Trump could decide not to fill appointments he's been given since he has promised to cut the fat out of government. But he may not be able to go as far as he wants since thousands of so-called career appointments are beyond his reach.

The full slate of top government jobs up for grabs is published every four years in the so-called Plum Book, named for the volume's purple cover. Of the more than 8,300 jobs listed in the latest edition, about half are "career appointments" over which the incoming administration has only limited discretion.

Hundreds more are part-time or honorary posts, including members of dozens of commissions, foundations and other federal bodies. Many of those job are unpaid.