The most exclusive want ad in the nation has been released in anticipation of the new presidential administration.

Every four years, in order to ease the transition after each presidential election, the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions—popularly known as the “Plum Book” because of the plum government jobs it lists—is released to the public. It lists thousands of federal civil service leadership and support positions (both vacant and currently filled) in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment in the new administration. 

Positions listed in the Plum Book include agency heads and their immediate subordinates, policy executives and advisors, and aides who report to these officials. The Plum Book lists jobs by department, the type of appointment for each position, names of current incumbents in many of the positions, and salary levels.

The duties of many such positions may involve promoting the new administration’s policies and programs, and the incumbents usually have a close and confidential working relationship with the agency head or other key officials.

Source of the Data

The data in the Plum Book comes from the Executive and Schedule C System (ESCS), a restricted database maintained by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and used to store information on federal employees in the Senior Executive Service (SES) as well as appointed employees in the Schedule C System.

Members of the SES serve in key positions just below the top presidential appointees and are the major link between these appointees and the rest of the federal workforce. They operate and oversee nearly every government activity in approximately 75 federal agencies.

Schedule C appointees keep a confidential or policy-determining relationship to their supervisor and agency head and are therefore political, non-competitive appointments. The authority to fill a Schedule C job is usually revoked when the incumbent leaves, and the agency must have specific approval from OPM to establish or reestablish the position.

The information from the ECSC may be slightly modified by the Government Publishing Office before publication, based on additional information they have.

History of the Plum Book

Publication of the Plum Book dates back to 1952, when the newly-elected Republican president Dwight Eisenhower wondered how many positions he could fill after ending a twenty-year run of Democrat presidential administrations. His list lasted him for two terms, but from 1960 to the present this list of political appointments has been issued every four years, whether there is a new president or not.

Although it is published every four years, those issues that coincide with the election of a new president always attract more attention than issues that coincide with an incumbent president’s second term, where there are not likely to be as many changes in personnel.

Earlier editions of the Plum Book had covers of Sand Gray or Killarney Green, but in 2000 someone had the clever idea of releasing it with a Plum cover, and the covers have been issued in that color ever since.

Where to Find the Plum Book

The Plum Book is alternately the responsibility of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The latest edition was compiled by the Senate committee and was issued by the Government Publishing Office (GPO) both in print and online shortly after last November’s presidential election.

• Print copies may be ordered online from the U.S. Government Bookstore or may be available for viewing at your local federal depository library.
• A digital copy was released simultaneously with the hardcopy at the GovInfo.gov Web site.
• An online archive of Plum Books dating back to 1996 are also available on the GovInfo.gov Web site.

PLUM Reporting Website

On December 22, 2023, in accordance with the PLUM Act of 2022 (codified at 5 U.S.C. § 3330f), the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) launched the PLUM Reporting website. The Periodically Listing Updates to Management (PLUM) Act of 2022, in addition to reimagining the word PLUM as a backronym, replaces the printed Plum Book with a public website that makes the information contained in the Plum Book (PLUM Data) available in a format that is easily searchable and meets certain data standards. Agencies upload their updated information to this website on an annual basis, and OPM must verify the accuracy of the information within 90 days of establishing the website in coordination with the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. The paper and PDF versions of the PLUM Book will be phased out by January 1, 2026. 

How to Apply

All those wishing to apply for positions in the Trump-Vance transition, Executive Office of the President, or a federal department, agency or commission should follow the instructions on the presidential transition Web site at Trump Vance 2025 Transition, Inc.

Ready to Serve®: Resources for Prospective Appointees is a centralized resource from the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service‘s Center for Presidential Transition that guides aspiring appointees through every step of the complex political appointment process.

Do You Want to Know More?

If you have any questions about the Plum Book or other government publications, contact the Sycamore Library, where the staff will be pleased to assist you.

Article by Bobby Griffith.

This is an updated version of a post that previously appeared on December 5, 2016.

Image of Plum Book coming off the press from the GPO Instagram account.