For principal officers, the president nominates and the Senate decides whether to consent; confirmation does not transfer appointment or later operational control to senators. Hearings and committee recommendations structure the process, but the Senate's final vote supplies chamber consent.

Congress may by law vest appointment of inferior officers in the president alone, courts of law, or department heads. That exception depends on the office being inferior; Congress cannot reclassify a principal officer merely to avoid presidential nomination and Senate confirmation.

Keep appointment separate from removal. Senate rejection blocks a nominee, but confirmation does not give the Senate a general power to remove an executive officer later. Impeachment and constitutionally valid statutory tenure rules raise different questions.

Video lesson: Congressional Decisions: Crash Course Government and Politics #10