A Recess Appointment Of An Ambassador Could Coincide With President Obama's Visit To Cuba

The United States Senate is scheduled to be in recess from 21 March 2016 to 1 April 2016, coinciding with the 21/22 March 2016 visit to the Republic of Cuba by President Barack Obama.

The President could, with the United States Senate in recess, make a recess appointment of Jeffrey DeLaurentis to be Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Cuba.  Thus, when President Obama disembarks Air Force One at Jose Marti International Airport, he would be met by his Ambassador.

The timing of the recess by the United States Senate would mean that the required documents would need be prepared and delivered to the United States Senate (if any) and government of the Republic of Cuba early on 21 March 2016 so that Charge D'Affaires DeLaurentis could present his credentials to either President Raul Castro or to Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez before the arrival of President Obama to the Republic of Cuba.

The appointment would be valid until the end of the next session of the United States Congress.

If President Obama does not make a recess appointment by the date of his arrival in the Republic of Cuba, then he might make a recess appointment during the final days in office.

From the United States Department of State:

"Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, is the Chief of Mission (Charge D'Affaires) at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba. Prior to taking up this position in August 2014, Ambassador DeLaurentis served for three years as the Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Prior to that posting, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Ambassador DeLaurentis was previously Minister Counselor for Political Affairs and Security Council Coordinator at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Since beginning his State Department career in 1991, Ambassador DeLaurentis has served in a number of overseas posts including twice before in Havana, first as consular officer in 1991-93, then as Political-Economic Section Chief from 1999-2002. He also served as Political Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, and Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota.

In Washington, Ambassador DeLaurentis served as Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Director of Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council, and as an International Relations Officer in the Bureau of International Organizations. Prior to entering the Foreign Service, Ambassador DeLaurentis held a senior staff position at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Columbia University Graduate School of International and Public Affairs."