House Going Home

Well...that didn't last long. The U.S. House, which just returned to the Capitol on Monday, is cutting its legislative week short, with lawmakers now set to leave Washington, D.C., following Wednesday's votes.

House to take last votes of the week today and likely won’t vote again until after the midterms

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 16, 2026

To be clear, they were originally only going to stay in town through Thursday. And it has been a busy week thus far with committee hearings and floor votes.

But Majority Whip Tom Emmer's (MN-06) office announced the change in plans on Wednesday. 

The next time the House will be back in session after Wednesday will be Nov. 9, following the midterm elections. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) earlier this month canceled the last two weeks of the September session, despite House Democrats urging him to keep the House in session to implement bipartisan AI safeguards.

Johnson had defended the abbreviated schedule on Tuesday, telling reporters that much of the legislative work is stalled in the Senate. The upper chamber has yet to pass a budget resolution for a third reconciliation package, legislation that would reauthorize food and agricultural programs for the next five years and a cryptocurrency regulation bill dubbed the Clarity Act – all major GOP priorities. 

“Right now, it almost feels like a pointless exercise for us to continue sending and stacking legislation over there, when members could be in their districts campaigning in this very fateful moment,” Johnson said. “That’s a critically important thing.”

Johnson said that he’s sent every House member notice that if the Senate begins to move on legislation, he will bring “everybody back and we’ll get it all going.”

The schedule change also means the House won't be taking up Republican Rep. Thomas Massie's (KY-04) articles of impeachment regarding Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

The last vote the House will take prior to adjourning is on the Russia sanctions bill.

House now debating Lindsey Graham bill to impose sanctions against Russia

Some Democrats oppose the bill because they believe it gives the President too much authority over tariffs and trade – especially after the unilateral sanctions he imposed on Canada.

Vote should some…

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 16, 2026

House now debating Lindsey Graham bill to impose sanctions against Russia 

Some Democrats oppose the bill because they believe it gives the President too much authority over tariffs and trade – especially after the unilateral sanctions he imposed on Canada. 

Vote should some later this afternoon, perhaps around 4 pm et or so

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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