More than a month after the Senate confirmed Michael Boren as an Agriculture Department undersecretary overseeing the Forest Service, the Trump administration won’t say when he’ll actually step into the job.
Instead, USDA said, Boren remains in a temporary position at the Interior Department as an acting assistant secretary for policy, management and budget that doesn’t require Senate confirmation.
Uncertainty around Boren’s status continues to swirl within the Forest Service, two current employees told POLITICO’s E&E News. The ambiguity comes as USDA faces a reorganization that might ultimately pull some or all of the forest agency into Interior and make it more political in nature.
Employees who discussed the situation at the Forest Service were granted anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak with reporters.
