Obama names 15 recess appointments, including Becker

Among the 15 named just one day after lawmakers departed for Easter recess are Craig Becker and Mark Pearce, the White House’s two, hotly contested nominees for the National Labor Relations Board.

Republicans have staunchly opposed both nominees, Becker especially, for their pro-labor positions. Still, their appointment to the NLRB means the agency may now resume deciding labor disputes without the looming threat of a shut down by the Supreme Court.

Ultimately, Obama attributed the need for recess appointments on the “unprecedented level of obstruction” in the U.S. Senate, led primarilly by the chamber’s Republicans.