The move gives candidates more time to sell themselves to voters. It means little, if any, legislation is likely to pass Congress before November.
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With midterm elections looming and members of Congress eager to campaign, the Republican-led House was scheduled to work for three more weeks before November. On Thursday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) cut that back to one, canceling planned votes in the final two weeks of September.
The House, which returned briefly this week after a months-long recess, had already been facing attendance issues and a shortage of must-pass legislation. The two extra weeks will give candidates in competitive races more time to sell themselves to voters. And it means little, if any, legislation is likely to pass Congress before the midterms.
GOP leaders left open the possibility of calling members back before November if the Senate makes progress on a party-line spending bill that would send funding to the Pentagon for the Iran war and incentivize states to tighten voting rules for the elections.
But there are some likely casualties. A set of proposals to reform how the House handles sexual misconduct, which the Democratic and Republican women’s caucuses have been working on since spring, will probably be delayed because of the limited window to introduce legislation.
“There is bipartisan support for the reforms, and we are working quickly to get it done, but when you cancel legislative days, it slows things down,” said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-New Mexico), who chairs the Democratic Women’s Caucus.
Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Florida), who is in a competitive race for reelection, said the GOP leadership’s decision to cancel planned time in Washington highlighted the party’s misplaced priorities.
“Florida families do not get to pack up and leave when grocery, utility and insurance bills are due, and Congress should not walk away from its responsibilities two weeks early,” she said.
Republican leadership touted its record.
“The 119th Congress has done its job,” Rep. Lisa McClain, who chairs the House Republican Conference, said in a statement. “We’re excited to get back to our districts and continue our work for the American people.”
Republicans noted that some hearings will still be held. The longer recess, for example, will not get in the way of the Oversight Committee’s calendar, which still has hearings planned later this month, according to committee aides.
The House was already scheduled to be out next week. Johnson and some other Republicans will be in Dallas for the party’s midterm convention.
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The House and Senate’s only remaining week of overlap will be when both chambers return Sept. 14 after a Labor Day break. Anything sent over by the Senate during its longer stay in Washington will probably languish until the House returns after the November elections.
The GOP’s slim House majority has faced mounting challenges, with lawmakers on the campaign trail and conservative hard-liners upset about a variety of decisions made by House leadership.
On several occasions in recent months, small groups of Republicans have rebelled by voting “no” on procedural measures required for the chamber to take up legislation. This week, votes proceeded only after two Democrats joined with Republicans in voting to take up the GOP leadership’s agenda. That move was condemned by Democratic leaders, as all members of the minority party typically vote against such measures.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-North Carolina), who chairs the House Republicans’ campaign arm, voiced support this week for prioritizing time on the campaign trail over time in Washington.
“It’s up to the speaker, but I’ve always said the work we do at home is more important than the work we do here,” he told reporters.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) said the canceled votes weren’t a shock.
“They have no affirmative agenda that is actually designed to make life better for the American people,” he said of Republican lawmakers.
In its three and a half days in session this week, the House passed legislation to fund the government through Dec. 11, averting the possibility of a shutdown ahead of the midterms.
It also censured a GOP member accused of “inappropriate conduct” toward two female staffers and voted on GOP bills designed to force Democrats to take tough votes. Those included a measure condemning socialism (which passed) and locking in the size of the Supreme Court at nine members (which failed to secure a needed two-thirds majority).
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Theodoric Meyer contributed to this report.
