Bush bypasses Senate, fills government posts

WASHINGTON – President Bush on Wednesday bypassed the Senate to install former Navy Secretary Gordon R. England as deputy secretary of defense, and used a similar maneuver to name a new Pentagon spokesman, campaign finance regulators and Amtrak directors.

Bush had nominated England to be Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s top deputy last April. Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Trent Lott, R-Miss., had placed holds on the appointment, preventing the Senate from considering it. At issue were shipbuilding concerns and conflict-of-interest questions surrounding pensions England holds from defense companies.

Under the Constitution, the president may fill federal positions requiring Senate confirmation when the Senate is in recess. The appointment ends at the conclusion of the Senate’s next session if it is not confirmed – January 2007, in this case.