Republican Freshmen Say 'No' to Obama's Recess Appointments

By Steve Maley | 3:02 PM on July 01, 2011

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nNjyEP-tHs[/youtube]

Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA) has led a group of 77 Freshmen Republicans in an effort to block President Obama’s use of the recess appointment for the remainder of 2011.

The coalition letter to the House Republican leadership (pdf link) contains this pledge:

Rep. Landry’s statement, in part:

It is widely anticipated that the President will use a recess appointment to name Elizabeth Warren the head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, soon-to-be one of the most powerful positions in the Federal government. This is very troubling considering Warren wants the government to approve every credit transaction that citizens enter into. If President Obama really wants to fill a position, he should make his nomination and send it to the Senate.

The American people sent a loud message last November that America needs to end Washington practices that are fundamentally wrong. They elected a strong group of conservative freshmen to return accountability to the American people. And they sent us to end the status quo in Washington. So to those who will argue that past presidents have also made recess appointments, I say the fact that Administrations have long abused the recess appointment process doesn’t make it right.

That is why patriots like Representatives Tom Marino, Ben Quayle, Allen West, and 73 other freshmen have joined my efforts to hit the “kill switch” – a provision the Founding Fathers gave the House to utilize when the Senate’s advice and consent is being circumvented by a hostile Administration. This kill switch comes in the form of adjournment resolutions.

Under Article 1, Section 5 of the Constitution, the House of Representatives can prevent the Senate from recessing by withholding its consent. Simply put: we do so by voting down, or not considering, a Senate adjournment resolution. And when we do so, we block the Administration’s ability to make recess appointments.

Thanks to these 77 Congressmen for doing the job they were sent to Washington to do.