Banning Presidential Appointees

Each president’s approach to lobbying restrictions

Each president has brought their own viewpoints on nominations and advocacy, which have been implemented by executive orders.

• President Clinton shortened the ban to one year beginning on the last day of their employment (Mintz, n.p).
• President Obama prolonged the duration to two years following his exit from office.
• President Trump has extended the deadline to five years and has proposed a lifetime ban.

This paper addressed the ban’s effect on open governance.

Efforts to prevent exploitation of connections

According to Jackson and Schouten (n.p.), most administrations have limited the ability of their administration officials to lobby. This is aimed at ensuring that these individuals do not exploit connections made during official duty for personal gain (Thurber 358).

One of the major developments in this line is the action by President Trump to put a lifetime ban on administration officials lobbying foreign governments. The Obama administration had put a two-year ban on all appointees leaving office (Bawn 4).

During this period, the individuals cannot accept gifts from lobbying organizations, working with any executive agency for two years, or even communicating with workers in their lobbying agencies.

According to Eggen and Smith (n.p), these restrictions enhance openness. An open-government system guarantees the best services to citizens.

Importance of restrictions for open governance

Brody et al (n.p.) notes that many of Trump’s potential appointees declined their appointments because they wanted to return to their work immediately after stepping down. According to Coglianise et al. (1), President Bush administration failed to deliver its promises partly due to lack of openness.

Therefore, the limits on the ability of appointees to benefit from relationships are appropriate in creating an open governance system. These laws are fair because most presidents put them in place during the early days of their terms. Therefore, potential appointees have the opportunity to turn their appointments down if they are not comfortable.

Works Cited

Bawn, Kathleen, et al. “A theory of political parties: Groups, policy demands and nominations in American politics.” Perspectives on Politics 10.3 (2012): 571-597.

Brody, Ben., Pattypiece, Shannon and Allison, Bill. Would-Be Trump Appointees Say ‘No Thanks’ Due to Lobbying Ban. Bloomberg Politics, 9 March 2017. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-09/would-be-trump-appointees-say-no-thanks-due-to-lobbying-ban. Accessed December 12, 2017.

Coglianese, Cary. “The transparency president? The Obama administration and open government.” Governance 22.4 (2009): 529-544.

Eggen, Dan, and Smith, Jeffrey, Smith. Lobbying Rules Surpass Those of Previous Presidents, Experts Say. The Washington Post, January 22, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/21/AR2009012103472.html. Accessed December 12, 2017.

Jackson, David., and Schouten, Fredreka. Trump orders lobbying restrictions on ex-officials. USA Today, January 28, 2017. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/28/donald-trump-ethics-lawyers-barack-obama/97187656/. Accessed December 12, 2017.

Mintz, John. Clinton Reverses 5-Year Ban On Lobbying by Appointees. The Washington Post, December 29, 2000. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/12/29/clinton-reverses-5-year-ban-on-lobbying-by-appointees/e5a0571f-5c54-4988-adc6-5571a7557e83/?utm_term=.100b715c4ae3. Accessed December 12, 2017.

Thurber, James A. “The Contemporary Presidency: Changing the Way Washington Works? Assessing President Obama’s Battle with Lobbyists.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 41.2 (2011): 358-374.