Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s plan to keep the chamber open for much of August and possibly push through more Trump administration nominees will give him rare bragging rights to managing the longest working schedule in nearly 50 years.
Often mocked as a part time legislative body, the Senate is on schedule to work the most days since 1971, according to a new report.
Overall, should the trend continue, the two-year Senate session could total 385 days, 68 higher than the modern day average of 317, according to the Pew Research Center.
It said: “With McConnell’s announcement that this year’s August recess will be shortened, senators are on track to be in session for 385 days – far more days than average and the highest total of any Senate going back to 1971. That current expected number counts the 195 days that the Senate was in session in 2017 and the 190 days that it has either already been in session or is scheduled to be in session this year. It also includes the additional three weeks – potentially 15 work days – that McConnell has added.”
Pew added that by keeping the Senate in session to handle nominations including that of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the August break will be the “shortest in decades.”
The House is also putting in a but of unusual overtime. According to the new report, “The House, meanwhile, typically convenes for fewer total days than the Senate during the course of a Congress. The House spends, on average, 290 days in session. The calendar the House has set for the term already has legislators working relatively more days – at 317 – than all but four previous Congresses since 1971.”
The lengthened work schedule comes during a contentious midterm election where many members will be campaigning heavily back home to keep their seats.
