Senate confirmation of appointments to the cabinet and executive office of the president

Appointments to senior-level executive positions are at times the subjects of disagreement between the president and Congress. Recent changes in the nature of the executive-legislative relationship in American government are reflected in the manner in which the Senate exercises its power to confirm nominations to executive offices. Presidents since Nixon have found greater proportions of their nominations encountering significant opposition in the Senate. More importantly, questions of public policy—once viewed as inappropriate—have come to dominate confirmation deliberations. As a result, the confirmation process is best viewed as an extension of the policy struggles between the White House and Capitol Hill and one mechanism at the legislature's disposal for exercising control over the executive branch.