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.
-
China and Taiwan's war of words ahead of anniversary paradeUnder The Radar Neighbours both claim to have led the fighting during World War Two
-
Epstein files: Maxwell courts a pardonFeature A new prison transcript shows Ghislaine Maxwell praising Trump as 'a gentleman' while denying his involvement in the Epstein scandal
-
Pentagon readies military deployment in ChicagoFeature The Pentagon is preparing to deploy thousands of Illinois National Guard members to Chicago after Trump threatened to send troops into other major cities
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billionsSpeed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revoltSpeed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodusSpeed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official saysSpeed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judgesSpeed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policingSpeed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
