Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush named 17 people to government positions, including posts in the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, using recess appointments to bypass senators who had blocked the nominations.

The president appointed Gordon England as deputy secretary of Defense and Julie L. Myers as assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other positions. The appointments, made while lawmakers are in recess, will last until a new Congress convenes in January 2007.

``Each of these individuals are highly qualified,'' said Erin Healy, a White House spokeswoman. ``These are critical positions that can no longer go unoccupied.''

Also among those appointed by Bush today were Benjamin Powell as general counsel in the office of the director of national intelligence and Tracy A. Henke as Executive Director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness at the Department of Homeland Security;

Senators can put holds on individual nominations for any reason and at least several of those named by Bush were subject to such delays.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved Myers's nomination in October with all nine committee Republicans voting in favor. The panel's six Democrats objected, saying she lacked sufficient experience to take such a prominent role at an agency with 15,000 employees and a $4 billion annual budget.

Myers, a former federal prosecutor and assistant Commerce secretary, and Powell were blocked by Senator Carl Levin of Michigan because of disputes unrelated to the nominees, Congressional Quarterly reported.

The Homeland Security post ``has been vacant since September and has been pending in the Senate for some time now,'' Healy said. ``It's essential that the agency have its leadership as soon as possible.''

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the jobs being filled by Myers and Henke ``are critical positions that cannot be left vacant.''

England is a former Navy secretary, deputy secretary of Homeland Security and General Dynamics Corp. executive. CQ reported that Republican Senator Olympia Snow of Maine was holding up the nomination because of his role in recommending the closure of a naval shipyard in her state.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nicholas Johnston in Washington at njohnston@bloomberg.net; Holly Rosenkrantz in Washington at hrosenkrantz@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 4, 2006 19:01 EST