Bush Bypasses Senate, Makes Recess Appointments

WASHINGTON – President Bush (search) on Friday announced his intention to make 20 appointments during the congressional recess, including a new chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (search), a manufacturing czar and three ambassadors.

For FTC chairman, Bush is appointing Deborah Majoras of Virginia to replace Timothy J. Muris, who is stepping down after three years. Majoras, a former Justice Department deputy assistant attorney general, was one of the lead attorneys in the government's antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corp.

Majoras' nomination had been blocked in the Senate by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who said there was no evidence she would change FTC policies that benefit oil companies and hurt consumers. By making the appointment during the congressional recess, Bush avoids the need for Senate confirmation.

In a statement, Wyden said he hoped "that this undemocratic process for naming a new chair won't result in consumers being hammered with high gas prices again and again."

Jon Leibowitz of Maryland will be appointed to another seat on the five-member FTC. Majoras and Leibowitz, like the other recess appointees, will serve until the end of 2005.

Bush is also appointing Albert Frink Jr. of California as assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing and services. Bush's first pick for the manufacturing post, Nebraska business executive Tony Raimondo, was criticized for cutting U.S. jobs and shifting work to China.

The president also announced his intentions to make the following appointments:

– Paul Jones of Colorado to be a member of the Internal Revenue Service (search) Oversight Board.

– Jonathan Dudas of Virginia, under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

– Enrique Sosa of Florida, a member of the Amtrak reform board.

– Richard Wagner of Florida, a member of the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board.

– Stephen Johnson of Maryland, deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

– Carin Barth of Texas, chief financial officer of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

– Gary Lee Visscher of Maryland, a member of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

– Ricardo Hinojosa of Texas, chairman of the United States Sentencing Commission.

– Susan Johnson Grant of Virginia, chief financial officer at the Energy Department.

– James Kunder of Virginia, assistant administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (search) in the bureau for Asia and the Near East.

– John Rood of Florida, ambassador to the Bahamas.

– Charles Graves Untermeyer of Texas, ambassador to Qatar.

– Aldona Wos of North Carolina, ambassador to Estonia.

– Scott Kevin Walker of Wisconsin, a member of the advisory board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.

– Roger Wallace and Jack Vaughn of Texas and Nadine Hogan of Florida, members of the board of directors of the Inter-American Foundation.