Battle over appointees brewing between Senate and White House

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton and the Republican-led Senate may be on the brink of a showdown over who has the power to appoint certain federal officials.

In this story:

Tiff began with Hormel nomination
U.S. Mint nominee blocked
Republicans threaten retaliation

At issue is whether Clinton will appoint government officials considered controversial by some in the GOP while Congress is in recess.

Recess appointments allow a president to avoid Senate opposition . Congress is currently in recess until next month.

"I do expect the president to use his constitutional authority in some cases on recess appointments," said White House spokesman Joe Lockhart. "I do expect him also to meet the commitments and tradition we have with the Senate in informing them in advance," Lockhart said.

Tiff began with Hormel nomination

The White House promised to warn the Senate of impending recess appointments after sparks flew over an appointment last June.

Conservative senators had been blocking the nomination of businessman James Hormel as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg because he was openly gay.

Clinton infuriated those senators by using his constitutional powers to appoint Hormel while Congress was away.

VIDEO

White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace reports on White House and Senate perspectives on the issue of recess appointments
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Nomination for U.S. Mint blocked

Five nominees whose appointments are being blocked include Jay Johnson, an Agriculture Department official who's been tapped to become the new director of the U.S. Mint.

Johnson said he doesn't know why his nomination is being blocked.

"You are in this state of limbo, and you feel sometimes ... you are a pawn in a chess game," Johnson said.

Another nominee being held up is Bill Lann Lee, acting assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Republicans threaten to retaliate

Clinton has the prerogative to bypass the Senate and appoint Lee, Johnson and others while the Congress is away.

But if the President does bypass the Senate, 17 Republicans, led by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), have threatened to retaliate.

"We will put holds on all of the remaining, for the remainder of your presidency, all of the judicial nominees," Inhofe said on the Senate floor.

Republican senators have not only demanded notification, but they also oppose any controversial appointments while the Senate is away.

"It's really an effort to get around troublesome nominations that may have a difficult time being confirmed by the Senate," said Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Arkansas). "And I think that's a misuse of that power."

White House officials said Clinton has made fewer recess appointments than Republican presidents Bush and Reagan.