{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-scholten-introduces-cap-act-limit-number-non-confirmed-political", "Congresswoman Scholten Introduces the CAP Act to Limit the Number of Non-Confirmed Political Appointees across the Federal Government", "2026-07-20", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MI", "Hillary J. Scholten", "S001221", "scholten.house.gov", "scholten", "https://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03) introduced the Capping Appointed Positions (CAP) Act, which would place a reasonable limit on the number of political staff a president can place throughout the federal government without Senate approval. This legislation would help prevent the increasing politicization of federal agencies and provide a commonsense check on the president\u2019s power while preserving a robust civil service. Congresswoman Scholten was joined by Representatives James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).\n\n\u201cPresident Trump has placed more political appointees in government positions without Senate approval than under any other administration in our nation\u2019s history. That is not how a democratic government is supposed to work, and my CAP Act checks that power by limiting those positions to 1,600 appointments,\u201d said Congresswoman Scholten. \u201cThis is a commonsense way Congress can help ensure the people who make some of the most important decisions in our federal government go through an oversight process that holds them accountable.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump is attempting to replace our professional, nonpartisan civil service with political loyalists and sycophants,\u201d said Congressman James R. Walkinshaw. \u201cThe CAP Act puts necessary guardrails in place to stop this dangerous politicization of the federal government. I\u2019m proud to join Congresswoman Scholten and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton in ensuring federal agencies are staffed by qualified professionals who put the American people, not political loyalty, first.\u201d\n\n\"The growing politicization of federal agencies and the simultaneous hollowing out of career leadership is a direct threat to the nonpartisan, professional civil service that Americans depend on. The number of non-Senate-confirmed political appointees has now eclipsed 1,900, a record high that exceeds historical norms by hundreds of positions. The CAP Actwould place a reasonable ceiling on these appointments and provide meaningful guardrails to ensure government remains both responsive to a president's agenda and capable of delivering consistent, reliable services to the public. I commend Representative Scholten for her leadership in drafting this legislation and urge Congress to act,\" said Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.\n\nThis legislation would place a limit on Schedule C and Schedule G positions, which are political appointments, not career civil service positions. These employees serve at the pleasure of the administration and can be hired or fired without the standard civil service procedure and without Senate oversight. Prior to the Trump administration, the record high number of these appointees serving at any point in time was 1,783 under the George H.W. Bush Administration. The current total is up to 1,926.\n\nThe CAP Act reflects Congresswoman Scholten's ongoing work to promote accountability and oversight in the federal government. Congresswoman Scholten previously introduced the Integrity in Government (IG) Act, which would strengthen checks and balances by installing new oversight measures for the White House and its top offices and protecting independent watchdogs from political retaliation.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-21T07:32:02Z", "2026-07-21T07:33:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-scholten-introduces-cap-act-limit-number-non-confirmed-political"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9206687100231647, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}