Just a Few of Over 3,700 Politically Appointed Jobs
Aside from Cabinet secretaries and Supreme Court justices, whose nominations require the approval of the Senate, the President of the United States currently has the authority to unilaterally appoint over 300 people to high-level positions within the federal government.
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), most of these positions, known as "Presidential Appointments," pay from $99,628 to about $180,000 per year and include federal employee benefits.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/Presidential-Appointments-No-Senate-Required.htm