(FOX NEWS) -- A clash over appointments to executive agencies is brewing after President Trump threatened to invoke an obscure constitutional power to adjourn both chambers of Congress under certain circumstances as a way to allow himself to make recess appointments — filling vacancies in jobs he says are needed to help fight the coronavirus without the advice and consent of the Senate.
Presidents have the power under the U.S. Constitution to temporarily fill vacancies while the Senate is out of session, but the body holds what are called "pro forma" sessions – very brief meetings with a skeleton crew that happen when the body is not taking care of legislative business – in order to remain in session, thus blocking recess appointments. Trump wants to use that power to fill vacancies in executive agencies that have been largely neglected by a Senate focused mainly on lifetime judicial appointments.
"We have a tremendous number of people that have to come into government and now more so than ever before because of the virus and the problem," Trump said in remarks at the White House Wednesday.
Advertisement - story continues below
