Published: December 12, 2024
The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has made the 2024 United States Policy and Supporting Positions, or the “The Plum Book”, available on GovInfo. Users can search the publication by agency, position title, location, appointment type, pay plan and level, tenure and term expiration, and vacancy.
The Plum Book is published by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and House Committee on Oversight and Reform alternately after each Presidential election. The Plum Book is used to identify Presidential appointed and other positions within the Federal Government. The publication lists over 8,000 Federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment. The duties of many such positions may involve advocacy of Administration policies and programs and the incumbents usually have a close and confidential working relationship with the agency head or other key officials.
The Plum Book was first published in 1952 during the Eisenhower administration. When President Eisenhower took office, the Republican Party requested a list of government positions that President Eisenhower could fill. The next edition of the Plum Book appeared in 1960 and has since been published every four years, just after the Presidential election.
Beginning on January 1, 2026, "(A) the covered website shall serve as the public directory for policy and supporting positions in the Government; and (B) the publication entitled “United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions”, commonly referred to as the “Plum Book”, shall no longer be issued or published." (Plum Act of 2022). Visit the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) PLUM Data website.