The Senate should not abandon its constitutional power
Republican Senators who acquiesce to President Trump's demand for an artificial "recess" will have no credibility to complain when a Democrat makes the same demand.
I sent this letter to my United States Senators on November 21, urging them to fulfill their constitutional duty.
Senators,
President Trump is demanding that the U.S. Senate go into recess when he appoints his Cabinet so he can efficiently move forward with staffing his administration. I strongly urge you to reject these demands.
The Constitution of these United States gives the President the authority to pick people to serve in high office, but also explicitly gives the Senate the authority to give "advice and consent" to those picks. This is an important duty of the Senate and should not be glossed over no matter what the election results were.
President Trump does have the authority to "fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate," which is clearly not happening here. President Trump wants to create an artificial "recess" that gives him extra-constitutional power. Our founding fathers would be horrified to see the Senate even considering going into "recess" and abandoning the duty and authority given to them by the Constitution.
President Trump and others argue this is necessary for efficiency. They are wrong. Gridlock is actually a good thing, because it slows down the process, prevents radical change or drastic shifts in policy, and safeguards our liberties against federal overreach. Republican Senators who acquiesce to President Trump's demands will have no credibility to complain if a Democrat is elected President in 2028 and demands the same deference to his picks for his Cabinet.
Over the last century, Congress has continually abdicated its authority to the executive branch in direct rebellion against our constitutional structure. Thankfully, the Supreme Court has rolled some of that back, invalidating "rules" written by the bureaucracy that have the force of laws that were duly passed and signed by the President. Had Congress not abandoned its rightful authority for craven political reasons, those Supreme Court decisions would never have been necessary.
I understand President Trump's popularity with Republican voters in our state will make it politically difficult to resist his power grab, but doing the right thing is seldom easy. Please stand for the constitutional order, do not surrender your rightful authority, and vote on each and every one of President Trump's nominees for his Cabinet.
