Trump is calling on Republican senators vying for majority leadership to agree to a suspension of appointments

CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump is requiring Republican senators vying for the majority leader position to support appointing his nominees during recess – a way for presidents to essentially bypass Congress that was recently blocked by the minority party.

All three senators running in a secret ballot this week quickly signaled their support for the idea, even though Democrats could thwart requests to go into recess, preventing recess appointments.

“Every Republican senator seeking the coveted leadership position in the United States Senate must agree to recess appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to confirm people in a timely manner,” Trump posted on X on Sunday. “ Sometimes the votes can take two years or longer. They did this four years ago and we cannot allow something like this to happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY!”

Trump’s demand for appointments during the recess reignites a decades-old conflict between presidents and leaders on Capitol Hill – a conflict in which the Supreme Court previously ruled in favor of the Senate’s powers.

Both chambers must pass a resolution to go into recess, which would give Senate Democrats the opportunity to defeat the resolution and effectively block its passage. During Trump’s first term, for example, he was blocked by the Senate from using recess appointments to replace then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

But if the new Senate Republican leader supported the idea, it would be notable support for expanding presidential power, even for a leader of the same party as the president-elect. In recent decades, senators from both parties have been skeptical of the practice.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott — the long-term candidate who is winning the support of a handful of conservative senators and MAGA influencers — quickly posted on X on Sunday endorsing Trump’s post: “100% agree. I will do everything I can to get your nominations through as quickly as possible.” Trump ally Elon Musk then praised the Florida Republican and wrote on X: “Rick Scott will be Senate Majority Leader!”

Over the weekend, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Vivek Ramaswamy announced they would support Scott, while Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also suggested so, posting on X that the Trump agenda would be “shaky” without Scott. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Marco Rubio of Florida have also endorsed Scott.

Most senators have not announced their positions, but Scott is still a significant underdog, with GOP whip John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas considered favorites. Both Thune and Cornyn also indicated Sunday that they were open to Trump’s call for recess appointments.

Thune posted on X that “all options are on the table” to quickly confirm Trump’s nominations.

“We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s nominations in place as quickly as possible, and all options are on the table to accomplish this, including recess appointments.” We cannot allow Schumer and Senate Democrats are blocking the will of the American people,” the South Dakota Republican wrote.

Calling it “unacceptable” that Democrats are “blocking” Trump’s appointments, Cornyn wrote on the power to make recess appointments.”

According to a familiar source, Cornyn discussed this issue with Trump before posting on X.

Also on Sunday, Trump called on Senate Republicans to block any attempt by the currently Democratic-controlled Senate to push through more judges before the balance changes.

Trump wrote: “Furthermore, no judges should be allowed during this time as Democrats seek to impose their judges while Republicans fight for leadership.” THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

But Democrats will control the chamber for the remainder of Biden’s presidency and do not need Republican votes to appoint justices.

When senators return to Washington this week, the issue of recess appointments will now have a major impact on Senate Republicans’ leadership election.

Recess appointments were once controversial, last-ditch attempts by presidents to install their nominees after facing long odds for confirmation in the Senate. For example, President George W. Bush appointed John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during a recess because he was unlikely to make it through the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Democrat who led the Senate under Bush, then decided to ensure that the chamber simply never recessed long enough to make such an appointment. As the senators left town, the Senate held a “pro forma” session to prevent recess appointments.

This continued under then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and then-President Barack Obama – a conflict that reached the Supreme Court. And with the court ruling in favor of the Senate’s powers, pro forma sessions continue today.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Ted Barrett and Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.