House Passes Bill Eliminating Senate Approval of Presidential Appointments Etceteranough: By a vote of 261-116, the House of Representatives passed a bill rewriting Article II of the Constitution and divesting the Senate of the power to accept or reject the appointment of many presidential nominees. Last year, the Senate passed the measure by a vote of 79-20, so it now goes to the desk of President Obama for his signature. "Important positions will be filled faster, government agencies will be more capable of offering valuable services to their constituents, and the overall confirmation process will be more efficient,” said Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Dozens of key management positions in the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Commerce, and Homeland Security (including the treasurer of the United States, the deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, the director of the Office for Domestic Preparedness, and the assistant administrator of FEMA) will now be filled by presidential edict, without the need of the “advice and consent” of the Senate, a phrase specifically removed from the process in the text of the bill. Although the House vote occurred on Tuesday, the Senate voted to surrender its constitutional check on the executive over a year ago on June 29, 2011. Despite a last-minute attempt by some House leaders to put the measure to a voice vote, thus allowing members to vote in favor of the legislation without being listed on the record, a roll call vote was taken, and the name of every congressman who voted to unconstitutionally neuter the legislative branch is listed. The process began last March when Senator Chuck Schumer... http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/congress/item/12302-house-passes-bill-eliminating-senate-approval-of-pres-appointments Read the rest of the article here ^  OCD_OCD: It simply proves the agenda of this Administration and that it is to take the power away from our elected officials and put it in his hands. Frightening, really.  Coffrey: Well on the face of it, this sounds bad, like ocd said, it really puts a lot of power into the executive branch. BUT it makes sense considering those key positions mentioned above aren't filled because the senate keeps rejecting ALL appointments. That really is unprecedented, it's really a matter of politics leading policy and not the other way around. When Republicans say their #1 goal is getting rid of Obama, what they actually mean is they'll ruin the country because they know stupid Americans don't read the news, so anything that's bad they'll go "Goddamn Obama" and that's what they want, hence why they reject all appointments. It's really disgusting, worse than this bill.
OCD_OCD: And why has Obama not come up with a budget during his entire term in office? let me rephrase that...he did come up with a budget that didn't even get one single vote from either party. Sarcastic Dots: Any other sources on this? This website is just a lil' fishy. Official documentation would be even better. I mean: The society opposed aspects of the 1960s civil rights movement because it claimed the movement had communists in important positions. In the latter half of 1965, the JBS produced a flyer titled “What’s Wrong With Civil Rights?,” which was used as a newspaper advertisement.[11][12] In the piece, one of the answers was: “For the civil rights movement in the United States, with all of its growing agitation and riots and bitterness, and insidious steps towards the appearance of a civil war, has not been infiltrated by the Communists, as you now frequently hear." It has been deliberately and almost wholly created by the Communists patiently building up to this present stage for more than forty years.” The society opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, claiming it violated the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and overstepped individual states' rights to enact laws regarding civil rights. Laugh out loud. This is just the tip of the iceberg btw. Awful, awful source. Really. (Edited by Sarcastic Dots) OCD_OCD: http://www.districtdispatch.org/2012/08/u-s-house-passes-legislation-to-bypass-some-confirmation-for-presidential-appointments/ U.S. House passes legislation to bypass some confirmation for presidential appointments Late Tuesday evening, with a vote of 261-116, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 679 – the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streaming Act of 2011. The U.S. Senate previously pasted this legislation on June 29, 2011 by a vote of 79-20. The purpose of this legislation is to reduce the amount of presidential appointments that the Senate must confirm thereby improving the efficiency of confirming a selected 220 executive branch positions. Currently there are approximately 1,400 executive branch positions that require a Senate confirmation. Included in the 220 executive branch positions that this legislation eliminates from senate confirmation are the 20 members of the National Museum and Library Services Board. This action may affect the current 8 nominees that have already been nominated for the National Museum and Library Services Board if they are not confirmed by the time this bill goes into effect. This legislation will become effective in 60 days. OCD_OCD: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s679/text S. 679: Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011 112th Congress, 2011–2012. Text as of Aug 02, 2012 (Passed Congress/Enrolled Bill). | Politics Chat Room 81 People Chatting Similar Conversations |
