In a statement on Thursday night, the president described the confirmations as "a good first step" and seemed to signal he would not be making recess appointments anytime soon.
Mr. McConnell was prepared to clear a long list of presidential nominees before the holiday break if the president had offered his assurance that he would not ram through recess appointments, Mr. Stewart added.
Dr Don Berwick, who resigned the job in December when it became clear Congress would not confirm his recess appointment made by President Obama, said a great deal of change was under way.
It was a beautiful gesture, and yet we both knew that there would not be enough recess breaks.
Ashbrook continued: "You ultimately withdrew as Medicare head when it became clear that Republicans would not confirm your recess appointment to that post.
Armed with the hashtag #NoBillNoBreak as in, the House would not begin its recess until a gun control bill was brought to a vote the Democrats tried, valiantly, to stop the chamber from functioning until they had gotten what they wanted.
Watching this therapy, many parents say, it is hard not to wonder whether another half-hour of recess would not be just as good and far cheaper.
Far from contemplating tax cuts, Mr Tremonti is reportedly working on a package of measures to trim the deficit by another €40 billion ($58 billion).In his speeches to parliament, Mr Berlusconi said a tax-reform bill that he plans to unveil before the summer recess would "not open holes in the budget".
Two months ago, officials said the case would not conclude until after the August recess.
After top officials conceded that they would not have a budget before the recess, their staffs began frantic negotiations in the hope that lawmakers, whose seats are all up for election in November, could announce that they had done something by Tuesday.
