Senators seek to slash number of political appointees

By The Post's "In the Loop" columnist Al Kamen:

Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday introduced a bill to slash the number of presidential political appointees, both full-time and part-time, from about 3,500 to 2,000 employees.

The measure, similar to ones they had introduced during the Clinton and Bush administrations, would most likely cut lower-level schedule C appointees -- the "confidential aide" and "special advisor" jobs usually filled by campaign workers.

Both senators have promoted such reductions, which are strongly supported by government reform experts, as a way to reduce costs, cut government and streamline the bureaucracy. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated these cuts could yield a savings of nearly $900 million over ten years.

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