(1/x) . @realDonaldTrump has left more federal agency leadership positions vacant than any previous administration and has abused the Federal Vacancies Reform Act to install acting officials in many of those roles. This could have huge implications during the #COVID19 outbreak.

(2/x) Consider the situation at @HHSGov. HHS is set to receive $140b under the stimulus, the largest amount for any agency. But HHS lacks a Senate-confirmed Asst. Secretary for Financial Resources. There hasn’t been one since Day 1 of the administration. https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/03/stimulus-deal-gives-agencies-340b-helping-boost-telework-office-cleaning-and-hiring/164111/

(3/x) In fact, @HHSGov doesn’t even have a legally-serving “Acting” Asst. Secretary for Financial Resources. Its website claims Jennifer Moughalian is in that role and that she’s responsible for some stuff that seems pretty important right now: https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/jennifer-moughalian/index.html

(4/x) But the @USGAO acknowledges Moughalian’s time as acting secretary expired on July 31, 2019. She has no legal authority to serve in that role. https://www.gao.gov/legal/other-legal-work/federal-vacancies-reform-act

(5/x) No problem, you might say—there’s an Inspector General at @HHSGov who can look into anything fishy that happens to the money. But wait: There’s no Senate-confirmed IG, either! And there’s no Acting IG, since the last one ... resigned in December. https://www.gao.gov/legal/other-legal-work/federal-vacancies-reform-act

(6/6) Leadership matters. It matters always but especially now. W/o Senate-confirmed leadership on $$$ oversight, HHS may be ill-equipped for the #COVID19 challenges confronting it. Americans can’t afford for this to be a cautionary tale about flouting the Constitution & the law.