Bush May Act to Appoint Nominees Stalled in Senate

President Bush may act on his own to install controversial nominees at the Labor and State departments if the Democratic-led Senate refuses to vote on them this week.

Senior administration officials said Monday they are exploring ways to give Otto Reich and Eugene Scalia temporary appointments during Congress’ recess. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bush has not made a final decision but is likely to issue recess appointments if the Senate doesn’t act.

Reich, a former Reagan administration official, is Bush’s choice to be secretary of Western Hemisphere affairs. Scalia, son of the conservative Supreme Court justice, would be the Labor Department’s top lawyer.

The Democrats’ concerns over Reich focus on his lobbying as well as his leadership of the State Department’s one-time Office of Public Diplomacy for Latin America and the Caribbean. The office, which Reich led from its inception in June 1983 until January 1986, was accused of running an illegal, covert domestic propaganda effort against Nicaragua’s Sandinista government and in favor of the Contra rebels.

Reich has denied wrongdoing.

Scalia, 38, a conservative Washington labor lawyer, was a vocal opponent of President Clinton’s efforts to tighten standards designed to reduce repetitive motion injuries. Because the Labor Department’s solicitor is responsible for defending its regulations, Democrats contend that his confirmation could undermine worker protections.

Under the Constitution, the president has the right to make temporary appointments--bypassing the usual confirmation proceedings--if he acts during the recess of the Senate. In this case, Scalia and Reich could serve until the end of 2003 if Bush waits until January to appoint them.

Democrats who control the Senate may try to block Bush’s plans by skipping the recess planned for this month, citing the war on terrorism.