The president today threatened to adjourn Congress, enabling him to make interim appointments of key officials to high government posts that would normally require the advice and consent of the Senate.
He made the announcement in his opening remarks at his daily briefing that allegedly are about the status of the corona virus emergency.
It is constitutionally possible for him to adjourn Congress. The founding document states that the president "may, on extraordinary occasions" adjourn Congress "to such time as he shall think proper."
This would give him "total authority" over what the federal government does, when and how it does it, causing an even greater conflict than that avoided recently when he claimed he could decide when states could reopen after closing down because of the pandemic.
Congress normally does not take any formal adjournments, especially the Senate, for the very reason that this would block any interim appointments that a president might make.
But if the current president cites current events as an "extraordinary occasion," this would enable him to send Congress home while he appoints his favorite allies to key government posts.
Technically, the Senate does not take a full, formal adjournment; instead, a single senator is delegated to call the Senate to order every day, but since no others are present, the session is delayed for another day. This can go on for weeks as the delegates go home for holiday gatherings.
The current pandemic is indeed an "extraordinary occasion," but national needs are more than enough reason for Congress to stay in session and provide additional funding to help Americans survive the crisis and the economic disaster the pandemic has caused.
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