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Politics
Peter Kastor, Professor of History & American Culture Studies, Associate Vice Dean of Research, Washington University in St. Louis

When presidents would send handwritten lists of their nominees to the Senate, things were a lot different

President George Washington, left, and his Cabinet: Henry Knox, secretary of war; Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the Treasury; Thomas Jefferson, secretary of state; and Edmund Randolph, attorney general. Currier and Ives/Bettmann - Getty Images

The new U.S. Senate is getting down to business, and one of its first tasks will be to consider Donald Trump’s nominations to federal office.

Trump himself has suggested his preference for recess appointments for Cabinet members. This would avoid the traditional confirmation hearings in the Senate, which are increasingly polarizing, drawn out and partisan.

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