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Obama signs bill exempting presidential appointees from Senate confirmation
Daily Caller ^ | 8-11-12 | Paul Connor

Posted on 08/11/2012 6:27:58 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic

President Barack Obama signed a bill Friday evening that would exempt some senior-level presidential appointees from Senate confirmation.

Sponsored by Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and cosponsored by Republicans and Democrats, the bill, now law, weakens the power of the legislature and strengthens the executive branch, critics have warned. The bill skated through the Senate three months after being introduced in 2011 and was passed by the Republican-controlled House 216-116 in July.

The law now allows Obama and future presidents to name appointees to senior positions in every branch of the administration, from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security.

Conservative critics worried that the bill restricts congressional authority to monitor executive branch decisions, but the measure received bipartisan support because of the gridlocked, slow-moving Senate, which is known for being the more deliberative of the two bodies of Congress.

Whereas the House is a more populist body, the Senate grants more power to its fewer members. It only takes one senator to filibuster an appointee, forcing the majority party to find a “super majority” of 60 votes to end the filibuster and move ahead with an up-or-down vote.

The law now sidesteps that process, with Congress willingly giving up oversight of these appointees.

“The United States Constitution does not bestow kingly powers on the President to appoint the senior officers of the government with no process,” wrote Thomas McClusky, senior vice president for the Family Research Council’s legislative arm, in a memo to lawmakers last week.

The positions exempted from Senate confirmation include high-level posts like the treasurer of the United States and chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and mid-level posts like the assistant secretary for management at the Department of Education.

The bill also seeks to streamline the paperwork involved in a presidential nomination.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: appointees; assininity; bho44; bipartisancrap; confirmation; czars; dictatorship; elitists; frc; house; huntsman; johnhuntsman; king; noaa; nolabels; oboma; obummer; senate; senateconfirmation; treasurer; treasury
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To: DH

life in DC is a non-stop party. Partying on our taxes. Visit and you will see lots of construction cranes on the horizon. No recession there and the in the surrounding suburbs, some of the nation’s wealthiest counties ring DC


61 posted on 08/12/2012 11:38:12 AM PDT by dennisw (Government be yo mamma - Re-elect Barack Obama)
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To: Old Sarge

Can’t remember who made those quotes, but it definitely came from the Continental Congress, amongst other writings of redress to King George. Yup, many points fit right in with our current king bambi.


62 posted on 08/12/2012 11:39:02 AM PDT by A Navy Vet (An Oath is Forever)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
[This ability was in a bill that] was passed by the Republican-controlled House 216-116 in July.

Whiskey.

Tango.

Foxtrot.

Over.

63 posted on 08/12/2012 11:43:28 AM PDT by Lazamataz (I love the Universe, and it loves me.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
"(The President) shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;

and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law:

but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments."Now null and void.

64 posted on 08/12/2012 2:24:14 PM PDT by Old Sarge (We are now officially over the precipice, we just havent struck the ground yet)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

MONEY_FER_NOTHING_AND_CHECKS_FER_FREE_PING!


65 posted on 08/12/2012 5:22:37 PM PDT by The Duke
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Thought you may be interested in this thread.


66 posted on 08/12/2012 5:27:01 PM PDT by HollyB
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To: Pride in the USA; Stillwaters

The barbarians aren’t at the gate, they’re in the House!


67 posted on 08/12/2012 6:33:51 PM PDT by lonevoice (Today I broke my personal record for most consecutive days lived)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

This was first made possible by a GOP who has to respect for the constitution. The GOP is simply a covert operation for the left.


68 posted on 08/12/2012 9:05:36 PM PDT by Revel
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To: SandRat

The PEOPLE have a case against this tyranny. They are NOT represented fully in these appointments by the executive.


69 posted on 08/12/2012 9:39:33 PM PDT by antceecee (Bless us Father.. have mercy on us and protect us from evil.)
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To: SandRat

All these edicts come on Fridays.....ever notice that, Sandy? On weekends there’s hardly any reporting and by Monday it’s old news.


70 posted on 08/12/2012 9:47:25 PM PDT by BIGLOOK (Hold.....hold......hold.......)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Bump


71 posted on 08/13/2012 4:25:17 AM PDT by lowbridge (Joe Biden: "Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy.")
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To: the invisib1e hand; afraidfortherepublic; John Semmens

“this ain’t Semmens?”

_________________

I sure hope so. If not, it is really unbelievable and, as someone said, outrageous.

“Houston, we have a problem.”


72 posted on 08/13/2012 5:14:29 AM PDT by proud American in Canada (Pray for America. She is the world's last best hope for freedom.)
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To: Revel

I suspect that this was snuck into a much larger bill.


73 posted on 08/13/2012 5:16:20 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic (ABO)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

This doesn’t bother me that much. It goes both ways. Remember when the Dems held up Republican appointees just to screw Bush? The Dems are more likely than Republicans to play games with these hearings. The bottom line is, if you want conservatives to control executive appointments, elect a conservative as president.


74 posted on 08/13/2012 5:38:01 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: BIGLOOK

That’s how O-Bummer thinks he can get by with going cheating.


75 posted on 08/13/2012 6:51:52 AM PDT by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
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To: Opinionated Blowhard

And as your Senator.


76 posted on 08/13/2012 6:59:09 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic (ABO)
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To: Political Junkie Too

...but the Congress may grant the preside3nt the power to do so- meaning, as I understand it, that it’s an incident issued vesting- not a once for all vesting- meanign everytime the president wants ot appoint he must call on congress to allow him to do so without their confirmation being needed-

Unless I’m misunderstanding hte issue- I don’;t beleive congress granted him that privilege this time- and he just took it on himself to ignore trheir right to be the oens to allow him to do so


77 posted on 08/13/2012 8:16:31 AM PDT by CottShop (Scientific belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge)
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To: CottShop

but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.

Again, simply because congress may have vested another president to do so in the past doesn’t give present presidents the same vested right to do so now- unless there was an amendment established io nthe consitution allowing all future presidents to appouint without cionfirmation by goncress


78 posted on 08/13/2012 8:21:13 AM PDT by CottShop (Scientific belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge)
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To: Political Junkie Too

A ‘vested interest’ is like a will where someoen can’t inherit $$ until theyu turn 21 or whatever the will states- that’s a ‘vested itnerest’ and it’s a legally binding promise for that person alone- and no other- the brother or sister can not collect if the will states that only the one sibling is entitled to the money-

Now, IF congress has vested all future presidents the right to appooint without confirmation- then that’s another story, however, section two of article 2 does not state that congress has doen any such thing, and only appears to give copgnress the right to allow the president to do so in idividual cases and on a case by case basis- not cart blanc power to appoint hwenever he feels liek without consent of congress- the key point in the following “vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper,” is “As they see proper’ strongly suggests that it’s a case by case issue, not a once for all granting of the privilege to appoint without confirmation proceedings

Perhaps I’m misunderstanding, but I’ve seen nothign that grasnts presidents the cart blanc power to appoint without confirmation whenever they like


79 posted on 08/13/2012 8:32:07 AM PDT by CottShop (Scientific belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge)
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To: CottShop
I think the issue is that Congress delegated to the President the authority to nominate without confirmation several MINOR posts only. I see your point asking was it just for these vacant posts this time only, or for all future Presidents for these posts only? Without reading the bill, it's probably the latter, that Congress deemed these posts to be minor enough as to not warrant confirmation hearings.

Since no Congress can bind a future Congress, a future Congress can pass another bill retaking these nominations back for confirmation. If a future President vetoes that bill (intending to keep the power), then Congress would have to override that veto to take the power back.

-PJ

80 posted on 08/13/2012 10:58:54 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( It doesn't come naturally when you're not natural born.)
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