Presidential Appointments

This web site is designed to provide prospective applicants with information to help them decide whether and how to apply for a position with this administration. This online application is the fastest and most accurate way to get your information to the Administration.

Please read the following and find links below to begin the application process.  Presidential appointments are an ongoing effort. Some of President's appointments require Senate confirmation. These appointments are for positions throughout the federal government, for the Cabinet and subcabinet, for members of regulatory commissions, for ambassadorships, for judgeships and for members of numerous advisory boards.  The President also makes many other political appointments that do not require Senate confirmation.

Factors to Consider

To serve our country as a member of the administration is both an honor and a privilege. However, government service is not for everyone. Anyone thinking about applying should be aware that:

• The hours are long and the pace intense.
• There is much public/press scrutiny, as you would expect in an open, democratic form of government such as ours.
• Most applicants under serious consideration for an appointment will go through a full FBI background check in which their employment, professional, personal, travel, medical, financial, legal, military and educational histories will be reviewed and scrutinized.
• The financial holdings and sources of income for most applicants under serious consideration must be disclosed for review for possible conflicts of interest, and any conflicts must be remedied by divestiture, the creation of special trusts, etc.
• Most appointees’ dealings with the Federal government during and for a period of time after their service will be significantly restricted to prevent possible conflicts of interest.
  

The Process

Anyone wanting to apply for a non-career position at the Department of Commerce should proceed as follows:

• Fill out the application form provided below and submit it electronically. You will receive a confirmation indicating that your application has been received. Your information will be kept on file for as long as the President is in office, and you will be considered for the position(s) or subject area(s) in which you have expressed an interest whenever openings occur.
• If and when you are considered for a specific position, you will be asked to fill out a Personal Data Statement for White House Liaison review. At this point you will be asked about possible conflicts of interest deriving from your sources of income; all aspects of your personal and professional life, including organizations to which you belong or once belonged; speeches you may have given and books, articles, and editorials you may have written; legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings to which you may have been a party; in short, anything that might embarrass the President or you if he should choose you for a position in his administration.
• If the Department of Commerce is further interested in your nomination, you will be asked to fill out FBI and financial disclosure forms for subsequent review and approval. To have a better understanding of the information you will be asked to provide, you can review the security clearance form for National Security Positions (SF86) and the financial disclosure form for higher level positions (SF278). You should know that most appointees are required to file financial disclosure statements annually during their service.
• If the position for which you are being considered requires Senate confirmation, the Senate committee that reviews nominations for that position may ask you to provide additional information.
  You should assume that all the information you provide during any part of this process is ultimately subject to public disclosure, if requested, per the Freedom of Information Act.

This process is very demanding of the applicant, as the jobs and appointments are demanding of those selected for them. President Bush appreciates your willingness to serve and wants to make it as easy as possible for you to pursue your interest in joining the administration.

Online Application

(To complete the online application your browser must support 128-bit encryption. If you have difficulties completing your online application, please check your browser capabilities.)

Contact Information for Future Reference

If you are a user with disabilities who is having trouble accessing the appointments application form, please contact the Department of Commerce's White House Liaison Office.

Office of White House Liaison
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room 5835
Washington, DC 20230
Email: whitehouseliaison@doc.gov