House Republicans are canceling the chamber’s final two weeks of scheduled business before the midterm elections, allowing members to leave Washington by Sept. 17 and remain home until mid-November.
The House will return for one additional week after next week’s Labor Day recess before ending its pre-election session. GOP leaders said they could bring lawmakers back if the Senate advances a party-line budget reconciliation bill, though that is not expected.
The shortened calendar comes as lawmakers push to return to their districts and campaign, while Republican leaders face increasing difficulty moving legislation through the House.
Earlier this week, two Democrats helped rescue a procedural vote that threatened to derail the GOP’s agenda for the week.
Speaker Mike Johnson defended the decision Thursday, pointing to hundreds of House-passed bills still awaiting Senate action and the political demands of the approaching midterms.
“Almost 600 pieces of that landmark legislation are still sitting over in the other chamber,” Johnson said, arguing that lawmakers also need time to work with constituents and campaign.
Democrats, however, portrayed the shortened schedule as evidence that Republicans have failed to advance their legislative agenda.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans had “nothing to do” to improve Americans’ health, safety and economic well-being, accusing the majority of creating “chaos, confusion and corruption.”
The move further reduces the House’s legislative calendar ahead of the November elections and could limit opportunities for Republicans to pass additional bills before voters head to the polls.
