WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers announced Tuesday they were joining a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s recess appointments, reviving an election-year row over White House power.
Republicans were incensed when Obama defied his congressional foes early this year by naming Richard Cordray as the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) while the Senate was in recess.
He used a maneuver which allows him to install a nominee for a calendar year, even if he or she has not secured Senate confirmation to a key government post.
“We inside the Republican conference had a number of discussions about the appropriate response to this unconstitutional action on the part of the president,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters.
Full story: Republicans join suit over Obama recess appointments