The Republican Party regained the majority in the Senate in the presidential election, which will meet in January to take the oath of office. But elected Democrats could still slow down the process of approving nominations.
Hardly re-elected as President of the United States, Donald Trump asked senators on Sunday to exempt him from their normally mandatory approval to appoint the top officials of his future administration.
An article from American Constitution allows the President to make appointments without Senate approval when the Senate is not in session. However, this provision is rarely activated, as Senators usually arrange to be in session when appointments are made, thereby exercising their power of control over the executive branch.
“Sometimes votes can take two years or more. That’s what they (the Democrats) did four years ago and we can’t let that happen again“, the president-elect railed on X on Sunday, referring to his first term (2017-2021).
The coveted Senate leadership position
“Any Republican senator aiming to take the coveted leadership spot in the U.S. Senate must accept nominations“outside parliamentary sessions,” he added.
The three senators campaigning for the position responded by supporting Donald Trump’s request. “100% agree. I’ll do anything to get your nominations (approved) as quickly as possible.“, wrote Rick Scott, senator-elect from Florida, backed by billionaires Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk and other Donald Trump allies to oversee the party’s elected officials in the Senate.
“We need to act quickly and decisively to get the president’s appointees approved, and all options are on the table, including appointing them during a parliamentary recess“, said John Thune, elected representative from South Dakota and current number two Republican in the Senate.
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“It is unacceptable for Senate Democrats to block” nominations, said John Cornyn of Texas. “If they do, we’ll stay in session even on weekends until they give in. And the Constitution gives the President the power to make appointments during breaks.“he added.
The U.S. Senate reviews and confirms by vote, first in committee and then in plenary session, the nominations of cabinet ministers, their deputies, but also ambassadors, military officials, the heads of multiple federal agencies and judges, including those of the Supreme Court. “No judge should be approved“before Republicans have chosen their leader and taken office in the Senate, Donald Trump added on Sunday.