Federal Government Policy and Business

As Clock Ticks, Appointees Try to Keep Career Feds Focused on Obama's Goals

Government Executive: As the Obama administration winds down and a presidential transition looms, agency leaders insist they're committed to fulfilling the president's goals rather than trimming their sails as time grows shorter.

"This is the time in an administration's life cycle that we see finishing touches applied to key initiatives and attention paid to institutionalizing them so their shelf lives extend into the new administration," said Dan Blair, president and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration. "The challenge for the political class will be to continue motivating career employees to keep up momentum and avoid the 'slow walk' that many initiatives inevitably face as we approach a change in leadership."

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