{"id":2466838,"date":"2025-07-25T17:22:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T21:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rabble-rouser-massie-questions-gop-leaders-on-recess-appointments\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T17:24:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T21:24:08","slug":"rabble-rouser-massie-questions-gop-leaders-on-recess-appointments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rabble-rouser-massie-questions-gop-leaders-on-recess-appointments\/","title":{"rendered":"Rabble-rouser Massie questions GOP leaders on recess appointments"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frabble-rouser-massie-questions-gop-leaders-on-recess-appointments%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2466838&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a libertarian and vocal critic within teh GOP, has publicly questioned why Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, continue to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >hold frequent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-joins-with-schumer-to-block-potential-trump-veto-of-defense-bill-keep-big-tech-protection\/\" title=\"McConnell Joins With Schumer To ... Potential ... VETO Of Defense Bill, Keep Big Tech Protection\">pro forma sessions<\/a><\/a> during recess. These sessions prevent former President donald Trump from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-hail-mary-trump-looks-for-workarounds-to-install-gaetz-without-senate-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"A \u2018Hail Mary\u2019: ... looks for workarounds to install Gaetz without ... - Washington Examiner\">making recess appointments<\/a> without Senate confirmation, causing delays in filling government positions. Massie criticized this strategy, suggesting GOP leaders are obstructing Trump&#8217;s agenda despite being from the same party.His comments highlight ongoing intraparty tensions, as Massie has opposed some Trump-backed measures and sided wiht Democrats on issues like releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. While some Republicans,including Senators Mike Lee and Ron Johnson,support using recess appointments to expedite nominations,GOP leadership prefers to maintain the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tubervilles-holds-on-military-promotions-show-power-of-senate-minority\/\" title=\"Tuberville&#039;s grip on military promotions highlights ... minority&#039;s influence.\">traditional confirmation process<\/a>,even if it prolongs the backlog of nominees. This debate reflects a broader historic practice where both parties have used pro forma sessions to block recess appointments by presidents of either party.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Rabble-rouser Thomas Massie questions why GOP leaders won&rsquo;t allow recess appointments<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2156113\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3478594\/johnson-shakes-head-massie-epstein-files-bless-his-heart\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Thomas Massie\">Thomas Massie<\/a> (R-KY), the libertarian who has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3343411\/trump-call-primary-thomas-massie-being-a-no-on-funding-bill\/\" title=\"Thomas Massie\">fallen out of favor<\/a> with President Donald Trump and been a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3478594\/johnson-shakes-head-massie-epstein-files-bless-his-heart\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"thorn in leadership's side\">thorn in leadership&rsquo;s side<\/a>, suggested Friday that GOP leaders are the ones standing in the way of the president&rsquo;s agenda.<\/p>\n<p>He openly questioned the strategy of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), saying that continuing to hold so-called &ldquo;pro forma&rdquo; sessions to block Trump from installing recess appointments without Senate confirmation was presenting needless delays.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3482567\/house-ethics-mike-kelly-stock-insider-trade-wife\/\">House Ethics recommends Rep. Mike Kelly and wife divest of steel manufacturer stock<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3482566\/house-union-lawsuit-starbucks-jimmy-johns-vendors\/\">House union sues Starbucks and Jimmy John&rsquo;s vendors over eatery shakeup&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3482364\/house-ethics-aoc-met-gala-pay-2700-tax-the-rich-dress\/\">House Ethics asks AOC to pay $2,700 for Met Gala appearance that violated gift rules<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;During August recess, Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune plan to call the House and Senate into session every four or five days, with practically no one there, for the sole purpose of preventing Trump from making recess appointments,&rdquo; Massie posted to social media.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson said Massie&rsquo;s remarks were simply &ldquo;a fact that he is bringing to people&rsquo;s attention with his tweet.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But his public heat on Johnson comes as the speaker has increasingly thrown shade at Massie for opposing Trump measures like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and siding with mostly Democrats to demand the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Jonson was forced to send lawmakers home early for August recess last week, after efforts by Massie and Democrats to force the release of the files <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3478445\/epstein-files-paralyze-house-johnson-cancel-votes-recess\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">paralyzed the House<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If I were Speaker, I&rsquo;d refuse to participate in this maneuver with the Senate to block a President of my own party from hiring his people quickly,&rdquo; Massie said in an earlier post. &ldquo;I understood why we did it when Biden was president. Some people (bots) get mad at me for just explaining this.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Whether his remarks are intended to suggest there&rsquo;s division between Trump and GOP leaders, Massie is the latest Republican among a handful to rehash <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3230811\/trumps-demand-recess-appointments-faces-headwinds-controversial-cabinet-picks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"recess appointments\">recess appointments<\/a> to fast-track nominees. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &ndash; Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., listens during a joint subcommittee hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Congress is set to rely more heavily on pro forma sessions in the coming weeks during a scheduled summer recess as a routine maneuver by leadership to block the approval of presidential appointments without Senate confirmation. With more than 100 pending nominees, Massie and others like Sens. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BasedMikeLee\/status\/1948175682611351819\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Mike Lee<\/a> (R-UT) and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenRonJohnson\/status\/1948184093381808147\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ron Johnson<\/a> (R-WI) have openly suggested the party embrace a maneuver it&rsquo;s previously rejected.<\/p>\n<p>Although it&rsquo;s the Senate&rsquo;s role to confirm nominees, the upper chamber would need the House&rsquo;s approval to adjourn for more than three days. Recess appointments require that the Senate be adjourned for at least 10 days.<\/p>\n<p>Lee estimates that at the current rate, it will take the Senate until April 2026 to confirm all current pending nominees.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3230811\/trumps-demand-recess-appointments-faces-headwinds-controversial-cabinet-picks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">TRUMP&rsquo;S DEMAND FOR RECESS APPOINTMENTS FACES HEADWINDS FOLLOWING CONTROVERSIAL CABINET PICKS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Still, neither GOP-led chamber is likely to change course, as was made clear in the wake of Trump&rsquo;s election victory during an intraparty rift that split Republicans. His demands for recession appointments largely fell on deaf ears with most GOP senators and Thune, who value their &ldquo;advice and consent&rdquo; role to the point they&rsquo;re willing to forgo some of their August recess if it means whittling down the confirmation backlog.<\/p>\n<p>For years under multiple administrations, Republicans and Democrats have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-demand-for-recess-appointments-faces-headwinds-following-controversial-cabinet-picks-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"...\u2019s demand for ... following controversial Cabinet picks - Washington Examiner\">utilized pro forma sessions<\/a> to block presidents of both parties &mdash; including their own &mdash; from making recess appointments. When the Senate adjourns for periods of more than three days, a senator goes in at least every fourth day to preside over an empty chamber that conducts no business.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2156113\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2156113\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Massie criticizes GOP leaders blocking recess appointments<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2466839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/thomas-massie-recess-appointments.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[48906,4850,59932,44822],"class_list":["post-2466838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-gop-leaders","tag-massie","tag-rabble-rouser","tag-recess-appointments"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/thomas-massie-recess-appointments.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2466838"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2466842,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466838\/revisions\/2466842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2466839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2466838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2466838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2466838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}