POS is purposefully avoiding Senate confirmations by nominating "Actings" he can control.

[hedda_foil]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/08/us/politics/trump-acting-cabinet-secretaries.html

WASHINGTON — Temporary status is a seemingly permanent condition of the Trump administration.

The resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen as Homeland Security secretary on Sunday means that another cabinet officer who reports directly to President Trump will have the word “acting” next to the official title at a major department of government.

Interim secretaries are also in place at the Departments of Defense and of the Interior, and at the Office of Management and Budget, the Small Business Administration and ambassador’s office at the United Nations. Mick Mulvaney, Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, is also serving in an acting capacity.

“I like acting. It gives me more flexibility. Do you understand that?” Mr. Trump told reporters in January before departing to Camp David. “I like acting. So we have a few that are acting. We have a great, great Cabinet.”

But there are concerns about having men and women in such high-level jobs without having been subjected to Senate confirmation for those posts. Leaving cabinet secretaries unconfirmed in their roles could give the president even more leverage over them, or could leave them without full authority in the job.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/08/us/politics/trump-acting-cabinet-secretaries.html

[atreides1]

1. I'm curious?

Is it possible that Stephen Miller told him that "acting" cabinet members cannot implement the 25th Amendment?

[onenote]

9. It takes the VP to implement the 25th amendment

And ultimately it would take 2/3 of the House and Senate -- a higher bar than impeachment.

So, it's safe to assume that his having so many "acting" cabinet heads has more to do with not wanting to go through Senate hearings and nothing to do with the 25th amendment.

[Sherman A1]

2. From my understanding Pompeo was the one that came up with something like this

to fill jobs at State in order to keep the Department working and work around both Trump and Congress.

[patricia92243]

3. Trumps is stupid but he is very good at being sly. :(

[procon]

4. Short of purging the Legislature and

incarcerating Democrats, Trump is opting to make that co-equal branch of government irrelevant.

He's already demonstrated that the House doesn't control the nation's purse by demanding money from agencies to fund his fantasy wall. Now he's stripping the authority away from the Republican controlled Senate in bypassing their Constitutional duty to advise and consent to presidential nominees as he appoints acting heads of cabinet level posts.

What's next on Trump's inexorable path to dictatorship?

[cbdo2007]

5. The house should pass a bill that they must be filled in 60 days.

Just to put the Senate on record...or maybe they would actually vote in favor of something like this.

[lame54]

6. Can a new law be written putting...

A time limit on "acting" officials?

[hedda_foil]

7. Sure but the Little Hitler would veto it.

[lame54]

8. How the hell did we get here?

[onenote]

10. I suspect any president would veto it.

First, it isn't necessarily in the president's control as to how long an acting department head will serve in that capacity -- it depends on how fast a full time department head is nominated. Sure, one could require a nomination to be put forward within a set period of time, but it would have to be enough time to allow for an administration to fully vet a potential nominee.

Second, no president will want to have a time limit put on them. While Trump has taken the practice to new heights, most presidents end up with a number of "acting" department heads and some of them end up serving in that capacity for an extended period. For example, Obama had several "acting" Commerce Secretaries including one that served for a year as "acting."

[Massacure]

12. Would be more acceptable for congress to designate a line of succession?

IE could Congress designate that if the Secretary of Defense were to die, resign, or be fired that the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy be acting Secret of Defense or that Under Secretary of the Management Directorate act as Secretary of Homeland Security?

[UTUSN]

11. K&R