President Trump's proposal, floated Wednesday evening, that he might unilaterally adjourn Congress to force through recess appointments is not only legally questionable, it would be essentially impossible for him to carry out, Politico's Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman report Thursday morning. In theory, Trump has the constitutional right to adjourn Congress if the House and Senate can't agree on when to adjourn, but one reason no president has ever tried to do that is it would be "exceedingly hard," they write, explaining:
To understand the absolute absurdity of Trump's argument, here's what would have to happen: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would have to bring the Senate back, and they'd have to vote to adjourn. Speaker Nancy Pelosi would then have to bring the House back, and the House would have to amend the Senate's adjournment resolution — essentially voting against it. Then the Senate would have to disagree to the House's amendment. Only then can Trump adjourn Congress, according to experts. But the odds of that are so infinitesimal they are hardly calculable. [Politico]
And it gets worse for Trump. Pelosi wouldn't have to do a thing to sink the adjournment attempt, and if Trump "were to somehow force adjournment," she could immediately thwart it, "like seconds after it happens," Palmer and Sherman report. Read more about Trump's impossible dream at Politico.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Sudoku medium: September 14, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
