Appointments During the 108th Congress

During the 108 th Congress, the President submitted to the Senate 166 nominations to executive department full-time positions. Of these 166 nominations, 120 were confirmed; eight were withdrawn; one was returned to the President at the end of the first session; and 37 were returned to him at the end of the second session of the 108 th Congress. President Bush made a total of 18 recess appointments to the departments during this time. Of those 18, three were made during the recess between the first and second sessions of the 108 th Congress ( intersession recess appointments). The remaining 15 were made during recesses within the first or second session of the 108 th Congress ( intrasession recess appointments). These counts exclude days during August recesses and between sessions of Congress. The 31 days during the August 2003 recess, the 41 days between the first and second sessions of the 108 th Congress, and the 46 days during the August 2004 recess were subtracted from the "days to confirm" for those nominations that spanned one or more of these recesses. It identifies the agency involved and the dates of nomination and confirmation.
During the 108th Congress, the President submitted to the Senate 166 nominations to executive department full-time positions. Of these 166 nominations, 120 were confirmed; eight were withdrawn; one was returned to the President at the end of the first session; and 37 were returned to him at the end of the second session of the 108th Congress. For those nominations that were confirmed, an average of 98 days elapsed between the time of the nomination and the nomination's receipt and confirmation. The median number of days elapsed was 83. These statistics do not include the days during which the Senate was adjourned for its August recesses and between sessions of Congress.
President Bush made a total of 18 recess appointments to the departments during this time. Of those 18, three were made during the recess between the first and second sessions of the 108th Congress (intersession recess appointments). The remaining 15 were made during recesses within the first or second session of the 108th Congress (intrasession recess appointments).
Information for this report was compiled from data from the Senate nominations database of the Legislative Information System http://www.congress.gov/nomis/, the Congressional Record (daily edition), the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, telephone discussions with agency officials, agency websites, the United States Code, and the "Plum Book" (United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions).
This report will be updated as necessary.