President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the race for Senate leader, declaring on Sunday he wants whoever takes on the role — now that the GOP has won back control of the upper chamber — to allow recess appointments.
If his demand is met, it would break with what has become the routine under both parties for years: Scheduling pro forma sessions during extended off-periods, essentially keeping the Senate from entering a recess and thus preventing the president from making appointments in their absence.
“Any 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 get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump said in a post to X.
Any 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 get people confirmed in a timely manner. Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2024
“Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more,” he added. “This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY! Additionally, no Judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU!”
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Trump has not publicly endorsed any candidate for the role as of press time, but multiple GOP lawmakers are vying for the spot in the upcoming leadership elections. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who is the current leader of the Senate GOP, is not competing this time. Three other Republicans are running: Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), John Cornyn (R-TX), and John Thune (R-SD).
Scott responded to Trump’s post on X, saying he agreed with the president-elect’s demand. “100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible,” Scott said.
Thune, the sitting Senate Republican whip, said in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire: “I’ve spent eight months carefully listening to my colleagues about their vision for the next chapter of the Senate Republican Conference, especially as we hit the ground running with President Trump. 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’ve been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments. We cannot let Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats block the will of the American people.”
On Saturday, before Trump called for allowing recess appointments, Cornyn said in posts to X that he would keep the Senate in session until Trump’s Cabinet is filled if elected majority leader.
“The first order of business in the new Senate should be confirming President Trump’s cabinet. If I am the majority leader, I will keep the Senate in session until those confirmations occur,” Cornyn said. “No weekends, no breaks. Democrats can cooperate in the best interest of the country, or continue the resistance, which will eventually be ground down. Take your pick.”
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Democrats still control the Senate for now, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as majority leader. They can move forward with confirming judges, although their narrow majority could make a final blitz difficult. President Joe Biden has continued to announce judicial nominees after his vice president, Kamala Harris, lost the 2024 presidential contest to Trump.
Tech executive Elon Musk, who owns X and supported Trump’s 2024 campaign, also replied to Trump with an explanation for why he supports the call for recess appointments.
“Without recess appointments, it will take two years or more to confirm the new administration!” Musk said. “This would make it impossible to enact the change demanded by the American people, which is utterly unacceptable.”
