The House of Representatives, on what sure seems like awfully short notice, is canceling much of its September session. The House will now adjourn no later than September 17th and will not reconvene until after the midterm elections, at which time the House and Senate will be partially populated with lame ducks; how many disabled waterfowl will be among that number remains to be seen, and indeed, that may be the reason for the early adjournment.
Republican leaders announced Thursday that the final two weeks of the pre-election House session are canceled, severely curtailing what had been a full legislative calendar for September.
That means members are set to depart Washington no later than Sept. 17 and not return until mid-November. The House will reconvene for one additional week of business after next week’s Labor Day break.
That puts them on recess for almost two months. Note that they continue to collect a paycheck during this time. There may be a good reason for the decision to adjourn early, namely, the midterm election. Right now, the RealClearPolitics average of a generic Congressional vote has the Democrats up by nearly six points, and that has to have House Republicans feeling a little maladjusted; and the Senate map isn't any cause for comfort, either, with some races tagged as toss-ups that really shouldn't even be close.
Leaders would recall House members for those canceled weeks if the Senate moves forward with a party-line budget reconciliation package in the meantime, GOP leaders indicated, though that is not anticipated.
The decision comes as candidates agitate to get back on the campaign trail and as GOP leaders continue to struggle to maintain control of the House floor. Earlier this week, a procedural measure setting up votes on several Republican bills was poised to fail until two Democrats voted in favor, rescuing Speaker Mike Johnson’s agenda for the week.
Could the House leadership be privy to some internal polling that has them worried? It's not an unlikely prospect. The current campaign season is already well and truly underway, even though we aren't yet at the traditional post-Labor Day season startup; Anyone who has been deluged by campaign ads on television or radio is already aware of this. This will, without doubt, be the most contentious and the most consequential midterm election in recent history, and the Democrats, from the Fetterman middle to the DSA looney left, are highly motivated and will likely turn out, bigly, some driven by Trump Derangement Syndrome, some just have their eye on the main chance. And there is some loss of enthusiasm on the right over the failure of the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act.
So, Republicans are right to be concerned. The Senate has already been out on a late-summer break since August 10th (with the SAVE America Act still not passed) and will not return until September 14th. Now the House will be bailing for its districts on the 17th. That doesn't leave much time for any major agenda items to get through and on to the president's desk, although there will be an injured Anatidae session.
In other words, we shouldn't expect too much out of what there is left of the 119th Congress's term. And, unless Republicans and right-leaning independents get out to the polls in numbers, we shouldn't expect much from the 120th Congress other than a constant impeachment drumbeat and every effort to enact a socialist agenda.