Harry Reid Will Ask Obama To Recess Appoint All Nominees If GOP Delays Continue [View all]

[babylonsister]

Jennifer Bendery
Harry Reid Will Ask Obama To Recess Appoint All Nominees If GOP Delays Continue


WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) fired a warning shot to Republicans on Friday: Stop blocking President Barack Obama's executive branch nominees or I'll ask him to bypass the Senate and recess appoint all of them.

"If something doesn't break here, I am going to recommend to the president he recess appoint all these people, every one of them. It's not unique. The power to recess appoint is in our Constitution," Reid said on the Senate floor. "These are the president's nominations and he should have the right to have these people working in his administration."

Reid then proceeded to read through a list of stalled executive branch nominees and, just to make the point that Republicans have no intention of letting them advance, he objected to all of them himself.

"Every one of these I'm going to reject on behalf of the Republicans," he said. "How do you like that?"

Reid's comments came shortly after Republicans told him they would object to the confirmation of nearly 70 noncontroversial executive branch nominees that Democrats planned to bring up for a vote. Reid warned that he'll be watching for "significant action" in clearing that list in March, and if that doesn't happen, he'll recommend to Obama that he recess appoint all of them when Congress adjourns in April. "I mean, I can ask if I want and he doesn't have to respond affirmatively -- but I'm going to ask him to appoint them all," he said.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/17/harry-reid-obama-recess-appointments-gop-delays_n_1285309.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009