The President just said that he may unilaterally adjourn Congress. This seems to be a reference to Article II, Section 3, which gives a president in “extraordinary occasions” to convene or adjourn the Houses. This power has never been used and should not be used now . . .— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) April 15, 2020
..The power to adjourn only applies “in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment.” Pro forma sessions have been used by both Democratic and Republican houses to prevent recess appointments. I have long been a critic of such recess appointments...— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) April 15, 2020
(Unnecessary literary note: John Milton coined their term “pandemonium” from the Latin. He meant “house of all demons.” I think we already have that in the White House.)Senators of both parties should vote to support the congressional control over adjournment. Absent a “disagreement” there is no presidential power to adjourn under Article II. A pandemic should not be an invitation for pandemonium. Indeed, we need regular order now more than ever— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) April 15, 2020
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