Trump administration picks: How the vetting process works

The vetting and approval process for nominees can be lengthy – but it’s in the US Constitution to provide checks and balances on presidential power. It also is designed to prevent corrupt or unqualified nominees in administrations.

But Trump recently said the Senate “must agree” to recess appointments – a process that skips Senate vetting and allows quick installation of a nominee.

He argued that otherwise “we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner.” He noted that in his past administration, some of his nominees took multiple years to be confirmed.

Trump made the demand in a post on X as Republicans weighed who would lead the Senate majority. Sen John Thune, who was chosen majority leader, , externalagreed to use recess appointments, external to fill the posts quickly.

In a recess appointment, a president makes an appointment when Congress is on recess. The process was created when Congress didn’t meet as often as it does today, and to be used in emergencies.

Recess appointments also are meant to be temporary and expire at the end of a congressional session – at most, one year.

There aren’t many constraints on this maneuver, though there are some rules that could prevent officials appointed u, externalnder this procedure from being paid, external until they are approved by the Senate, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

Past presidents have employed this method liberally, often as a way of circumventing political divides that would slow nominations.

George W. Bush made 171 recess appointments, Bill Clinton made 139 and Barack Obama made at least 32, according to the CRS. Trump and Joe Biden did not employ the method.

The process was used less after after the Supreme Court ruled against Obama in 2014, striking down multiple recess appointments and calling them unconstitutional.

The court ruled the Senate was not truly in recess when he made the appointments and that the vacancies did not occur when the Senate was on a break, according to US media reports.