Citing the coronavirus, U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening unprecedented action -- adjourning both houses of Congress -- to entice the Senate to approve more of his nominees.
In recent years, Congress has refused to fully adjourn during most breaks precisely to prevent the president from making recess appointments. Little or no business is conducted in such "Pro-forma sessions," but they give members of both chambers of Congress the chance to go back home without going into recess.
Trump says he's had enough and warns that he will seek to adjourn both chambers of Congress if lawmakers don't formally declare a proper recess. That way, he could appoint some nominees without the Senate's approval.
The Constitution does not spell out a unilateral power for the president to adjourn Congress. It states only that he can decide on adjournment if there is a dispute over it between the House and Senate. Such a disagreement does not now exist, nor is it likely to arise.