Tag: administration officials

The big takeaway from Trump’s whirlwind round of personnel announcements

Posted on by ajk1311@gmail.com

“Take his decision to tap Homan — a polarizing immigration hard-liner and former author of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 manifesto — as “border czar” rather than a Cabinet position that would require Senate confirmation.
Trump on Monday praised Homan, whom he appointed as acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director shortly after taking office in 2017, as a “stalwart on Border Control” in a Truth Social post announcing the pick.

It’s a strong signal that despite his campaign-trail disavowals, Trump is willing to welcome those aligned with Project 2025 into his administration. But putting Homan in the White House, and not in charge of an agency, will limit his legal authority over border policy, and force him to work through people who have been confirmed by the Senate, or through those holding relevant posts as acting officials or through recess appointments.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/12/trump-transition-personnel-announcements-takeaway-00188936

Trump calls on GOP senators vying to be majority leader to agree to recess appointments

Posted on by ajk1311@gmail.com

“Recess appointments were once controversial, last-ditch efforts for presidents to install their nominees after facing long confirmation odds in the Senate. President George W. Bush appointed John Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations via a recess appointment, for example, as it was unlikely he would have made it through the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Democrat leading the Senate under Bush, then decided to make it so that the chamber simply never recessed long enough for such an appointment to be made. When senators left town, the Senate held a “pro forma” session to prevent any recess appointments.

This was continued under then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and then-President Barack Obama — a clash that made it to the Supreme Court. And after the court ruled in favor of the Senate’s powers, the pro forma sessions continue today.”

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“Trump’s demand for recess appointments resurfaces a decades-old clash between presidents and Capitol Hill leaders — one in which the Supreme Court has previously weighed in favor of the Senate’s powers.

Both chambers have to pass a resolution to go into recess, which would give Senate Democrats an opportunity to filibuster the resolution and essentially 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 the incoming Senate GOP leader backing the idea would be a notable support for expansion of presidential power, even for a leader in the same party as the president-elect. In past decades, senators of both parties have been skeptical of the practice.

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

Over the weekend, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Vivek Ramaswamy announced they’d back Scott, while Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested he did as well, posting on X that without Scott, the Trump agenda would be “wobbly.” Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Marco Rubio of Florida have also come out for Scott.

Most senators have not made their positions known, but Scott is still a significant underdog, with GOP Whip John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas seen as the favorites. Both Thune and Cornyn also suggested on Sunday they’re open to Trump’s demand for recess appointments.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-calls-gop-senators-vying-222006884.html

Trump’s mismanagement helped fuel coronavirus crisis

Posted on by ajk1311@gmail.com

“For six weeks behind the scenes, and now increasingly in public, Trump has undermined his administration’s own efforts to fight the coronavirus outbreak — resisting attempts to plan for worst-case scenarios, overturning a public-health plan upon request from political allies and repeating only the warnings that he chose to hear. Members of Congress have grilled top officials like Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield over the government’s biggest mistake: failing to secure enough testing to head off a coronavirus outbreak in the United States. But many current and former Trump administration officials say the true management failure was Trump’s.”

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““Interviews with 13 current and former officials, as well as individuals close to the White House, painted a picture of a president who rewards those underlings who tell him what he wants to hear while shunning those who deliver bad news.”