President-elect Donald Trump claimed in a social media post on Sunday that US Senate Republicans seeking to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell agree to a recess appointment, bypassing the traditional Senate confirmation process.
This week’s presidential election was a big win for the Republican Party with Trump winning the presidency over Vice President Kamala Harris and Republicans who control the Senate. Before Trump can fill out a new administration, many positions must be confirmed by the Senate, including secretary of defense, secretary of homeland security and secretary of state.
Trump has suggested bypassing Senate confirmation by using recess appointments, an exception used when the Senate is in recess where the president can make temporary appointments to high-level federal positions without Senate approval.
“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to a Recess Appointment (in the Senate!), Without it, we will not be able to confirm people in a timely manner,” wrote Trump on X, before Twitter , today Week. “Sometimes votes can take two years, or more. This is what we did four years ago, and we can’t let that happen again. We need positions filled immediately!”
While most presidents have appointed acting cabinet members early in their administration until a formal nomination process can take place, Trump has had more acting secretaries in his cabinet during his first term than any other president. He also left many political appointments vacant at the end of his administration even though Republicans controlled the Senate at the time.
When reached for comment on Sunday about why the president-elect wanted to make a recess appointment, Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, said: Newsweek via email, “I don’t think you understand the process.”
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In the post, Trump referred to the position of Senate majority leader, which is currently held by Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York. Since the Senate flipped, Republicans are set to take over the position, but it won’t be McConnell as he announced earlier this year that he will not continue as Senate Republican leader in the new term.
In response to Trump’s request for a recess appointment, Florida Senator Rick Scott, who is the Senate majority leader, wrote on X on Sunday, “100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nomination as soon as possible. .”
Another potential choice for Senate majority leader, Texas’ John Cornyn, wrote on X on Friday, “It is not acceptable for the Senate Ds to block the appointment of the President’s cabinet @realDonaldTrump. If they do, we will remain in session, including weekends, until they relent. Unless that, the Constitution expressly gives the President the power to make recess appointments.”
Meanwhile, South Dakota Senator John Thune, the current Senate minority whip who is also the Senate majority leader, told Andrew Desiderio, senior congressional reporter for Punchbowl News, Sunday via text message, “One thing is clear: We must act. quickly and decisively to get the president’s cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we have been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments.
Desiderio wrote in reaction to Trump’s post: “Hooooo boy. Trump wants … the ability to make recess appointments. But this is why the Senate does pro forma sessions – to prevent recess appointments.”
A pro forma session is a short meeting of the legislative body in which there is no official business. Pro forma sessions can and have been used to prevent the president from making recess appointments.
Trump also told his Republican allies he should block Democrats, who hold power in the upper chamber until January 3, from confirming judges.
He wrote in X’s post on Sunday that “no Judge should be approved during this time because the Democrats are trying to fight the Judges while the Republicans are fighting the Leadership. THIS CAN’T WORK.”
