Look at the chart of the President's since Reagan ....the Senate was only coming in every 3 days and lowering the gavel , then leaving again, Obama called it a "Sham"



President Barack Obama used his authority to appoint former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Wednesday without approval from the Senate, which was in recess. By doing so, Obama defied Senate Republicans who had sought to block any and all such recess appointments by holding "pro-forma" sessions for the sole purpose of obstructing the president's ability to fill executive branch and judicial vacancies.
[link to motherjones.com]