In the current situation, the two chambers of parliament are unable to work. Should he implement the threat, he could fill many posts without control.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a mandatory break on Parliament in order to quickly fill vacancies in his government without Congress. Because of the coronavirus epidemic, it was necessary for the government to finally fill vacant positions, Trump said on Wednesday evening. The constitution gives him the right to order such a parliamentary break, Trump said.
Trump condemned the previous practice of maintaining congress through Pro-forma meetings with no MPs or senators present. This is “neglect of the duties that the American people cannot afford in this crisis,” said Trump. That is “fraud”. The senators, for example – who usually have to agree to the appointment of top officials and ministers – were not in Washington at least until the beginning of May.
Should Trump order an official parliamentary break, the President could fill numerous posts without Congress approval. There have been numerous vacancies in the Republican government team since Trump began in 2017. The Democrats are vehemently opposed to ordering parliament to take a break. Currently, due to the coronavirus epidemic in particular, neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate in Washington meet regularly.
Trump sees the climax of the coronavirus outbreak in the US as over. The latest data is “encouraging,” said the US president. The data “had placed us in a very strong position to set the guidelines for the states to reopen the country”.
Trump wants to present these guidelines on Thursday. They are intended to determine how the measures to contain the pandemic, i.e. rules to keep distance and the shutdown of public life, can be relaxed. This should initially apply to parts of the country where there are few transmissions with the coronavirus, while the rules are to remain in force in hard-hit areas for the time being. The final decision rests with the governors of the individual US states.
