Will Obama squeeze in a few recess appointments?

By Ed Morrissey, Hot Air

With the Senate mostly gone from Washington, this would usually be the season for Presidents to start making a few end runs around Congress with targeted recess appointments.  Whether or not Barack Obama can do so between now and the return of Congress in late January depends on how one defines a “recess” — and just how motivated Obama might be to risk political blowback in testing his limits.  As I note in my column for The Week today, Obama has plenty of tempting nominations withering on the vine — and plenty of opportunity to cost himself political support no matter what he decides to do on vacation:

Obama has a fight brewing over the National Labor Relations Board and its attempt to impose new union-friendly policies. The term of NLRB member Craig Becker, one of Obama’s previous recess appointments to the NLRB, and one that caused a great deal of anger in the business community, has expired. Republicans in the Senate have held up two other appointments over the new regulations, which means that the NLRB board might not have a quorum. Unless Obama can get the Senate to act quickly to approve one or more of his nominees, the NLRB will not be able to do anything at all.

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/12/28/will-obama-squeeze-in-a-few-recess-appointments/

Tagged as: Congress, Craig Becker, NLRB, President Obama, recess appointments