Utah Sen. Mike Lee says he backs recess appointments for President Trump’s nominees but will not push to end the Senate’s short “pro forma” sessions until the White House asks him to.
What Lee said
Lee, a Republican, posted on X from Friday afternoon into early Saturday as some conservatives pressed him to help Trump fill jobs without Senate votes.
- Fri., Nov. 6, 2:25 p.m. ET: Answering a user who asked why he opened a pro forma session on Nov. 2, Lee wrote on his official account: “I’m no fan of pro forma sessions and I’m on record urging our leadership to allow recess appointments.” He said Trump had not demanded they stop, and “if and when he does, I’ll back him up every inch of the way.”
- Fri., 6:53 p.m. ET: Lee called pro forma sessions “the norm in the modern Senate” when the Senate and White House have no deal on recess appointments. He said he has been “in close contact with the White House” and will act “the moment the White House is ready.” He added: “That moment has not yet arrived.”
- Sat., Nov. 7, 12:59 a.m. ET: Replying to a commentator who urged him to do more, Lee wrote: “I spoke to President Trump himself about this hours ago today.” He did not say what Trump told him.
The terms, explained
- A recess appointment lets a president fill a post that needs Senate approval while the Senate is away.
- A pro forma session is a brief meeting with no business that keeps the Senate officially “in session.”
- In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in NLRB v. Noel Canning that the Senate must be in recess for at least 10 days before a president can make recess appointments, according to Roll Call. Regular pro forma sessions keep breaks shorter than that.
Why it matters now
Democrats and their independent allies won at least 54 Senate seats in Tuesday’s midterms, according to AP’s count. They take control in January. Republicans have a short lame-duck window to confirm Trump’s picks.
According to the Senate’s official Daily Press log, Lee presided over a pro forma session on Monday, Nov. 2, that began at 5:10 p.m. and conducted no business. A second session followed on Thursday. The Senate returns for regular business on Monday, Nov. 9.
Lee has pressed this before. In July 2025, he urged the Senate to skip pro forma sessions during its summer break so Trump could make recess appointments, Mediaite reported.
Democrats plan to resist Trump’s agenda. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Nov. 3 that Democrats would “fight Trump tooth and nail,” according to USA TODAY.
The other side
As of Saturday morning, there was no public response to Lee’s posts from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who sets the Senate schedule, from the White House or from Senate Democrats. Trump has not commented publicly.
Sources: U.S. Senate Daily Press (Nov. 2) · U.S. Senate Daily Press (Nov. 5) · Roll Call · AP · USA TODAY · Mediaite · @SenMikeLee · @BasedMikeLee (6:53 p.m.) · @BasedMikeLee (12:59 a.m.)
