Nesterczuk withdraws as OPM nominee
Former OPM official says prospect of being confirmed "has grown remote."
George Nesterczuk asked to be withdrawn as the nominee to direct the Office of Personnel Management.
George Nesterczuk, who was President Donald Trump's pick to run the Office of Personnel Management, has asked the president to withdraw his nomination.
In a July 31 letter, Nesterczuk told Trump he "decided to withdraw because the prospect of my favorable confirmation has grown remote." Nominated in late May, Nesterczuk had not yet received a confirmation hearing, and he faced strong opposition from the public employee unions.
Tim Kauffman, media relations director of the American Federation of Government Employees tweeted, "Good riddance. The federal workforce thanks you!" at the news of Nesterczuk's withdrawal.
Critics focused both on workforce-related positions Nesterczuk had taken in previous government roles and on his consulting work for the Ukrainian government.
The withdrawal was first reported by Government Executive.
Nesterczuk was on Trump's General Services Administration landing team during the transition, and previously served in positions at OPM under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
OPM has been without a permanent director since July 2015, when Katherine Archuleta resigned in the wake of massive data breaches at the agency. Beth Cobert ran OPM on an acting basis for the last 18 months of the Obama administration and was nominated for the position, but the full Senate never voted on her nomination.
According to the Partnership for Public Service, the Trump administration has submitted 255 nominations for the more than 1,200 executive branch positions that require Senate confirmation. As of Aug. 2, just 60 of those nominees have been confirmed.