House passes bill eliminating Senate confirmation for Presidential appointees, rewrites Article II of Constitution!

The House of Representatives is set to consider legislation Tuesday that would exempt certain presidential appointees from having to be confirmed by the Senate.

UPDATE: The House passed the legislation Tuesday night by a vote of 261-116. The bill now goes to President Obama’s desk for his signature.

More at
[link to libertycrier.com]


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.

More at [link to www.thenewamerican.com]


FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 537

S 679 2/3 YEA-AND-NAY 31-Jul-2012 7:06 PM
QUESTION: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass
BILL TITLE: To reduce the number of executive positions subject to Senate confirmation

[link to clerk.house.gov]




XML U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress - 1st Session

Vote Counts: YEAs 79
NAYs 20
Not Voting 1


[link to www.senate.gov]

Last Edited by Laura Bow on 08/03/2012 03:41 PM