Recess Appointments Made by President Barack Obama

 The Senate did not use the pro forma session practices during or after the first session of the 111th Congress.39

Toward the end of the second session, however, the Senate structured its 2010 pre-election break as a series of shorter recesses separated by pro forma sessions. In this case, the use of the practice reportedly stemmed from a lack of agreement between the Senate majority leader and the Senate minority leader regarding the disposition of pending nominations over the break.40.

39 When the practice under discussion here was first used, during the 110th Congress, Congress and the White House were controlled by different parties. During the 111th Congress, when the practice was not used, the two institutions were controlled by the same party. During the 112th and 113th Congresses, the Senate and the White House were controlled by one party, and the House was controlled by the other. During the 114th Congress, the arrangements returned to those under the 110th Congress: the White House and Congress were controlled by different parties.

https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R42329/R42329.11.pdf