The new Republican majority in the 119th Congress has to prove its worth, beginning with how it handles President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
Trump should give Republican senators a chance to do so, but be ready to take action if they fail to carry out their sworn duty to quickly and efficiently give him the individuals he needs to run the executive branch.
The Constitution gives the president authority to nominate “officers of the United States” and, with the Senate’s consent, to appoint them. That’s the default process for executive branch officials, judges, and ambassadors. It is based on the principle of checks and balances between separated powers that is so important for our system of limited government.
But the Constitution also provides a backup should the normal process prove unworkable, which has happened all too often in recent…
