Unless it is a close or contested election, Americans should wake up Wednesday, Nov. 9 knowing whether their next president is going to be Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Federal and postal workers will know who’s going to be their next CEO for the next four years, maybe eight years. Regardless of who wins, many experts say the nominees of both the Democratic and Republican parties are the least popular, least trusted ever.

Inside government, a new president means that most of if not all of the current 4,000 federal political appointees will officially be out of a job in January, if not before. Even loyal Democrats who served the Obama administration are likely to be replaced, even if their party holds onto the White House. Successful politicians value (and reward) loyalty above many things. They like to have members of their team running federal departments and agencies. And they have people who will be rewarded with jobs. While most career civil servants will be untouched by the transition, they will all get new political bosses and that could change many things.

As part of the transition process, federal agencies had to report all their political jobs to the Office of Personnel Management. The deadline for the report, listing the job title, incumbent and whether the job requires Senate confirmation or an excepted (non career) Schedule C , was mid-July. Unofficially it’s known as the Plum Book. You can check out the current one by clicking here.

The Senior Executives Association points out that because this has been a two-term administration, many top feds — career or political — will not have any experience in a transition. And many if not most may not have any government experience, at least at the federal level.

There is a so-called getting-to-know-you period (“get acquainted period”) when new political appointees meet, consult with and size up career executives that will be under them — unless they are transferred to other jobs. That time period is the first 120 days of the new administration.

A long-time fed watcher said, “Most people in the public think there are thousands of political jobs available to the new president and his or her team. But the number (about 4,000) is relatively small. Also, some people think that if your party wins, your job is safe. Wrong. If former Secretary Clinton wins she is likely to clean house. People want their own people in. Some may be reappointed, some may have burrowed into civil service jobs … but by and large, everybody in a political slot right now is out the door in 2017. Period. End of story.”

So how will the election/transition Affect you? Are you in the line of fire? What should you be doing to prepare for life after Nov. 8?

Today at 10 a.m. on our Your Turn radio show, Jason Briefel, acting president of the SEA, will talk about how the upcoming transition is supposed to work, what needs to happen, what role (if any) there is for you and what you are likely to face in January.

To see what your boss (and maybe you too) will be going through, take a look at SEA’s Handbook On Presidential Transition for Federal Career Executives .

If you have questions, or comments, email them to me (before showtime) at: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com.

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Michael O’Connell

The gauge pressure for a standard water polo ball is 13-14 psi.

Source: Wikipedia

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