White House Presidential Personnel Office


The White House Presidential Personnel Office is the White House Office tasked with vetting new appointees. Its offices are on the first floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C. The PPO is one of the offices most responsible for assessing candidates to work at or for the White House.
The PPO is currently made up of about 30 members, which is only about one third of its usual staff. This office is responsible for approximately 4,000 jobs, of which 1,600 require Senate approval. The White House Presidential Office recruits candidates to serve in departments and agencies throughout the Executive Branch. It presents candidates for PAS positions to the Senate which must also be approved by the President of the United States. The mission of this office is to provide the president with the best applicants possible for presidency-appointed positions. Lastly, it also provides policy guidance for federal department and agency heads on conduct for political activities.

Responsibilities

The Presidential Personnel Office has a number of responsibilities including:
The Presidential Personnel Office was previously named the White House Personnel Office, and it was created by Frederick V. Malek in 1971, to standardize the White House's hiring process. It was renamed to the Presidential Personnel Office by President Gerald Ford in 1974.
Under President Donald Trump, the professionalism of the PPO was challenged after The Washington Post reported that the office was staffed with largely-inexperienced personnel.

Leadership