Senator Thune Agrees With Trump – Recess Appointments on Table to Fill Controversial Cabinet Positions

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is affirming his agreement with President-elect Donald Trump that all options must be on the table to get cabinet nominees into their roles.

Which means exercising the use of recess appointments to fill vacancies. 

Recess appointments allow a president to bypass the Senate's constitutional role in the confirmation process. The Senate plays a valuable role in vetting presidential appointees to ensure they are qualified and align with the public interest.

However, the resistance party should immediately upon the new administration be placed in a virtual timeout based on their past behavior. Thune seems to recognize this, saying he will not allow Democrats to use the typical confirmation process to obstruct the soon-to-be president or the will of the people.

Nor should he. Had this past election gone in the completely opposite direction, you can bet as sure as the sun does shine that Democrats would be forcing through cabinet picks using every tactic imaginable — including recess appointments.

Fox News anchor Bret Baier questioned Thune on what the threshold might be to implement such a measure. 

"All options are on the table, including recess appointments," he replied. "Hopefully it doesn't get to that. But we'll find out fairly quickly whether the Democrats want to play ball or not."

The Democrats might be willing to play ball on some picks, but there are a handful of Trump nominees that are most likely not getting their support. Some of the more controversial (in their eyes) picks that come to mind are Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary.

Perhaps the most difficult position to fill will be that of Attorney General, where Trump has tapped firebrand former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for the role. That pick might draw some opposition on both sides of the aisle.

Those concerned about Trump's cabinet selections will no doubt shudder over Thune's remarks. He seems unphased.

"All these people have a process that they have to go through. All these nominees are – it's a – you know, advice and consent. That's the Senate's constitutional role when it comes to confirmation of nominations to the executive branch of the government. And we take that role seriously," he said. 

"But we also are not going to allow the Democrats to obstruct or block President Trump and the will of the American people."

Or, as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) put it slightly more eloquently when boasting that recess appointments would come into play, "He's the Attorney General! Suck it up!"

That right there is the kind of fight we need now, and well into the future.

Several presidents have used recess appointments in the past. Bill Clinton used them 139 times. George W. Bush made 171 recess appointments, notably including judges when their nominations were stalled in the Senate. And Barack Obama made 32 recess appointments before a Supreme Court decision in 2014 significantly limited the practice.

Neither Trump nor President Joe Biden used the practice in their terms.

Senator Thune, in a speech on the Senate floor after being chosen as the next Senate Majority Leader, laid out his agenda. It seemed to indicate that the time for games is past. That he will do what it takes to implement Trump's agenda.

"The American people handed President Trump and Senate Republicans a decisive victory. And now the real work begins: delivering on our agenda," he said.

While not mentioning specific nominations or the processes by which they would be put to work, Thune stated, "Members should expect an aggressive schedule until those nominees are confirmed."

President-elect Trump, knowing what kind of opposition he is set to encounter in his second term, has demanded recess appointments be a part of the game plan. He made that desire clear while the contest for Senate Majority Leader was still ongoing.

"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," he wrote on 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. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY!"

As with most matters, Thune's talk of a willingness to put all options on the table is welcome. But when push comes to shove, will he have the fortitude to make such a bold move?