Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump still hasn't named a number of key deputy secretaries to back up his Cabinet -- posts that experts say are essential to smooth functioning of the government. The lack of nominees for the key positions comes as Trump still needs to fill nearly 2,000 appointed positions in governments -- and as Democrats continue to slow-walk confirmations of the nominees he has named. The White House strongly disputes that it is behind, pointing the finger at Democrats for delaying the process. Four deputy secretary positions are seen as especially important because of the role of the agencies involved in national security and the economy: deputy secretary of state, treasury, defense and deputy attorney general.The pace lags behind his predecessorsTrump still needs to fill nearly 2,000 appointed positions in governments
That's on top of 23 _-level nominations, including one who withdrew.