Donald Trump has announced that he wants to appoint ministers on his own initiative. Normally, cabinet members must go through an application procedure in the Senate. The Republican now has another idea that will likely cause controversy…
Trump wants to use an exception that allows American heads of state to temporarily appoint cabinet members during at least a ten-day break in the Senate.
Every Republican senator who wants to become majority leader in the congressional chamber must agree to this, Trump wrote on Sunday (local time) on the online platform X. Several promising candidates for the post quickly agreed to this.
Democrats could block
Filling cabinet positions in the US usually requires Senate approval. To do that, presidential nominees must go through Senate committees.
At the same time, the head of state has the right to temporarily appoint ministers during breaks in Senate meetings. This is intended to guarantee the government’s ability to act. The ministers thus appointed must then be confirmed by the Senate by the end of the session in order to remain in office. In practice, this means that they can hold the position for a maximum of two years.
Trump’s version is controversial
US presidents have rarely taken this route – and there have been disputes over such appointments in the past. A legal dispute over President Barack Obama’s nomination in 2012 led the U.S. Supreme Court to set the minimum Senate recess length for such appointments at 10 days. Since then, the Senate has routinely held so-called pro forma meetings during breaks, preventing the president from filling his positions himself.
In Tuesday’s elections, Republicans already won a majority in the Senate with at least 53 of the 100 seats. It is still unclear who will win in one seat. But even in the minority, Democrats could slow down the appointment process to the relevant committees.
Republicans approve proposal
Trump wrote that the Cabinet positions must be filled as quickly as possible. And this requires the so-called ‘recess agreements’ during the meeting breaks. Senator Rick Scott of Florida, considered the leading candidate for Senate majority leader, immediately wrote that he agreed 100 percent.
The other applicants John Thune and John Cornyn were also open to it. For Trump’s plan to work, the Republican majority in the Senate would have to decide on a break of more than ten days, with no meetings in between.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
