For all the drama generated every four years by Cabinet appointments, defeat of a nominee by a vote in the Senate is extremely rare.

President-elect Donald Trump has declared a strong intention to use recess appointments in his next term. What are recess appointments?

President-elect Donald Trump has suggested he wants to use “recess appointments” to confirm his Cabinet nominees when he takes office, a process that could allow controversial picks like former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to avoid a contentious Senate confirmation process—but may be hard to implement in practice.