Trump urges upcoming GOP Senate leader to permit 'recess appointments'
It comes as Rick Scott has garnered backing from notable conservative figures, such as Elon Musk.
TroibNews 
On Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump emphasized the necessity for the next Senate Republican leader to support “recess appointments,” which are temporary appointments made when the Senate is out of session and do not require formal approval from the chamber.
“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments, without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump posted on the social media platform X. “Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again.”
While Trump refrained from endorsing any of the three GOP candidates — Sens. John Thune, John Cornyn, and Rick Scott — for the upcoming leadership election on Wednesday, notable figures in the conservative movement have rallied behind Scott in light of recent Republican electoral gains.
Scott responded positively to Trump’s proposal. “100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible,” he said, leading Elon Musk, the owner of the site, to exclaim, “Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader!”
Thune and Cornyn did not dismiss the concept in their replies. Thune stated that "all options are on the table" for fulfilling Trump’s agenda, "including recess appointments," while Cornyn observed: "The Constitution expressly confers the power on the President to make recess appointments."
In recent years, the Senate has frequently held brief pro-forma sessions to preclude the president from making recess appointments and bypassing the Senate’s advice and consent role. A unanimous Supreme Court ruling in 2014 declared that three recess appointments made by then-President Barack Obama were unconstitutional because the Senate was not genuinely in recess, which hindered the future use of this method.
Recess appointments can last up to two years, unless the Senate subsequently confirms the nominee.
Both Trump and President Joe Biden have been unable to make recess appointments during their presidencies, despite their parties having unified control of Congress and the presidency, due to how the chambers have arranged their schedules.
Trump had previously considered using extraordinary powers in 2020 to force the adjournment of both chambers of Congress to facilitate recess appointments. "The current practice of leaving town while conducting phony pro forma sessions is a dereliction of duty that the American people cannot afford during this crisis," Trump stated in April 2020 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, the president-elect urged the Senate to decline confirming any additional judicial nominees proposed by President Joe Biden in the remaining days of Congress, asserting that “Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership.”
However, his suggestions are likely to be disregarded, as Democrats will retain control of the Senate through the end of the year and have prioritized filling judicial vacancies during this lame duck session.
Trump’s remarks add to the rapidly changing dynamics in the race to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate Republican leader.
Scott, who was recently reelected and was previously viewed as an underdog against Thune and Cornyn, has received endorsements from several GOP colleagues: Sens. Ron Johnson, Bill Hagerty, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio.
“I will be voting for my Florida colleague @ScottforFlorida to be our next Senate GOP leader,” Rubio announced in a post on X.
Scott has also garnered support from influential members of the Trump-aligned MAGA movement, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Glenn Beck, Tucker Carlson, and Charlie Kirk.
Two years ago, Scott sought the top GOP position but received scant support. He garnered only 10 votes from Republican senators, compared to McConnell’s 37, as McConnell had led the conference since 2007.
On Fox News, Scott pledged to find common ground with Democrats while also expediting Trump’s nominees.
“I'm a deal guy,” he said. “I know that to get things done you've got to look at yourself in the mirror and say what do we have to do differently. We can't keep doing what we're doing. We have to be the change… It's going to take somebody that is a deal-doer, knows how to sit down with people and find common ground.”
Cornyn, while not addressing the issue of recess appointments, promised in a post on Saturday that there would be “no weekends, no breaks” until all of Trump’s Cabinet nominees are confirmed, a pledge that contradicts recent Senate norms of shorter work weeks.
“If I am the majority leader, I will keep the Senate in session until those confirmations occur,” the Texas Republican wrote. “Democrats can cooperate in the best interest of the country, or continue the resistance, which will eventually be ground down. Take your pick.”
Thune expressed hope last week during a CNBC interview that Trump would refrain from influencing the Republican leader race, a secret ballot that will occur Wednesday when lawmakers return to Washington. “These Senate secret ballot elections are probably best left to senators, and he's got to work with all of us when it's all said and done,” he remarked.
Greta Reich contributed to this report.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments, without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump posted on the social media platform X. “Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again.”
While Trump refrained from endorsing any of the three GOP candidates — Sens. John Thune, John Cornyn, and Rick Scott — for the upcoming leadership election on Wednesday, notable figures in the conservative movement have rallied behind Scott in light of recent Republican electoral gains.
Scott responded positively to Trump’s proposal. “100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible,” he said, leading Elon Musk, the owner of the site, to exclaim, “Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader!”
Thune and Cornyn did not dismiss the concept in their replies. Thune stated that "all options are on the table" for fulfilling Trump’s agenda, "including recess appointments," while Cornyn observed: "The Constitution expressly confers the power on the President to make recess appointments."
In recent years, the Senate has frequently held brief pro-forma sessions to preclude the president from making recess appointments and bypassing the Senate’s advice and consent role. A unanimous Supreme Court ruling in 2014 declared that three recess appointments made by then-President Barack Obama were unconstitutional because the Senate was not genuinely in recess, which hindered the future use of this method.
Recess appointments can last up to two years, unless the Senate subsequently confirms the nominee.
Both Trump and President Joe Biden have been unable to make recess appointments during their presidencies, despite their parties having unified control of Congress and the presidency, due to how the chambers have arranged their schedules.
Trump had previously considered using extraordinary powers in 2020 to force the adjournment of both chambers of Congress to facilitate recess appointments. "The current practice of leaving town while conducting phony pro forma sessions is a dereliction of duty that the American people cannot afford during this crisis," Trump stated in April 2020 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, the president-elect urged the Senate to decline confirming any additional judicial nominees proposed by President Joe Biden in the remaining days of Congress, asserting that “Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership.”
However, his suggestions are likely to be disregarded, as Democrats will retain control of the Senate through the end of the year and have prioritized filling judicial vacancies during this lame duck session.
Trump’s remarks add to the rapidly changing dynamics in the race to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate Republican leader.
Scott, who was recently reelected and was previously viewed as an underdog against Thune and Cornyn, has received endorsements from several GOP colleagues: Sens. Ron Johnson, Bill Hagerty, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio.
“I will be voting for my Florida colleague @ScottforFlorida to be our next Senate GOP leader,” Rubio announced in a post on X.
Scott has also garnered support from influential members of the Trump-aligned MAGA movement, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Glenn Beck, Tucker Carlson, and Charlie Kirk.
Two years ago, Scott sought the top GOP position but received scant support. He garnered only 10 votes from Republican senators, compared to McConnell’s 37, as McConnell had led the conference since 2007.
On Fox News, Scott pledged to find common ground with Democrats while also expediting Trump’s nominees.
“I'm a deal guy,” he said. “I know that to get things done you've got to look at yourself in the mirror and say what do we have to do differently. We can't keep doing what we're doing. We have to be the change… It's going to take somebody that is a deal-doer, knows how to sit down with people and find common ground.”
Cornyn, while not addressing the issue of recess appointments, promised in a post on Saturday that there would be “no weekends, no breaks” until all of Trump’s Cabinet nominees are confirmed, a pledge that contradicts recent Senate norms of shorter work weeks.
“If I am the majority leader, I will keep the Senate in session until those confirmations occur,” the Texas Republican wrote. “Democrats can cooperate in the best interest of the country, or continue the resistance, which will eventually be ground down. Take your pick.”
Thune expressed hope last week during a CNBC interview that Trump would refrain from influencing the Republican leader race, a secret ballot that will occur Wednesday when lawmakers return to Washington. “These Senate secret ballot elections are probably best left to senators, and he's got to work with all of us when it's all said and done,” he remarked.
Greta Reich contributed to this report.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
