WASHINGTON-President George W. Bush went around Congress again and appointed Deborah Majoras to be the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, as FTC Chairman Timothy Muris announced he will leave the agency as of Aug. 15.
Majoras’ Senate confirmation was the scene of a nasty battle last month between Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Wyden has questioned Majoras’ view of the impact of oil mergers on gas prices.
Wyden asked the Senate Commerce Committee to postpone her confirmation, but met resistance from McCain. Wyden then asked McCain to consider other items on the Senate Commerce Committee’s agenda first and return to the Majoras nomination at the end of the hearing. McCain agreed, apparently not realizing that Wyden had invoked the two-hour rule, which does not allow Senate committees to meet two hours after the Senate has begun floor debate. McCain was furious when informed that his committee could not continue due to the two-hour rule.
Caught up in the melee over the Majoras nomination was the nomination of Jonathan Leibowitz to be an FTC commissioner. Majoras is a Republican, and Leibowitz is a Democrat. Because the Senate Commerce Committee typically considers nominations from both parties at the same time, Leibowitz’ nomination also stalled.
Bush pre-empted further consideration of both Majoras and Leibowitz by giving them both a recess appointment effective until December 2005. Presidents use recess appointments when the Senate leaves town without finishing consideration of executive-branch appointments.
Also given recess appointments were Albert Frink Jr. to be assistant Commerce secretary for manufacturing and services and Jonathan Dudas to be undersecretary of Commerce for intellectual property.
