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Why Recess Appointments Are Dangerous
Trump is weakening Congress’ check on his power
Before we get too far down the rabbit hole of Trump’s nominations for his cabinet (he wants RFK, Jr. for HHS? Seriously? SERIOUSLY???), let’s talk about something even more important. Yes, there is something more important than appointing incompetent Trump loyalist zombies. And that is how he is appointing them.
Trump can’t tolerate any constraints on his behavior, especially when he is playacting at being the president of the United States, Leader of the Free World, Putin’s Puppet, Kim Jong Un’s Lover, you get the idea.
That pesky Constitution keeps getting in his way. Remember when he wanted to terminate the Constitution, overturn the 2020 election and return himself to power? Well, it gets in the way of his hiring decisions too.
Trump wants to be able to hire people like he did when he was head of his family company. Just put them on the payroll and give them an office. But that pesky Constitution … well, it says that he has to get permission from the Senate when he wants to hire a cabinet member or a judge.
During his first term, he got around that requirement by appointing “acting” heads of departments. The original intent of the “acting” position was as a temporary hire, like a placeholder…
