It wasn’t exactly a surprise, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky., Tuesday announcement was a welcome one nonetheless.
“Due to the historic obstruction by Senate Democrats of the president’s nominees,” his statement reads, “and the goal of passing appropriations bills prior to the end of the fiscal year, the August recess has been canceled.”
McConnell added that although there will still be a week at the beginning of August for senators to meet with constituents back home, they “should expect to remain in session in August to pass legislation, including appropriations bills, and to make additional progress on the president’s nominees.”
Yes, McConnell’s move can be viewed as a shrewd, partisan political maneuver. It makes sense to keep all the senators in school during campaign season when your party has just one vulnerable Senate incumbent, and the Democrats have six or seven.
But it goes beyond that. The August recess has always been a dubious institution. After all, this isn’t continental Europe. Most Americans don’t take (or get) the entire month of August off. Why should their senators?
It’s not as though the current Congress accomplished so much that it needs the break. If they can, senators should still be talking about passing something to fix the healthcare mess that Obamacare left behind. They should be trying to make a deal on immigration reform that beefs up border security and gives legal status to those covered by DACA.
And as for McConnell’s mention of passing appropriations bills on time — well, it’s about time, isn’t it? As we’ve often argued previously, it’s well past time for Congress to get back to regular order and pass actual agency appropriations bills on time — no more shutdown showdowns, no more last-minute continuing resolutions, no more omnibuses, cromnibuses, minibuses, or megabuses, please!
And of course, the month of August will be well spent if it means more judicial nominations are confirmed and more judges seated. The Senate has accelerated its work here lately, with seven new Trump-appointed circuit court judges confirmed just last month, for a total of 21 so far. But there are still 85 to be confirmed, and after that another 93 current or future vacancies to fill.
Democrats, though mostly powerless, have exercised their minority rights under current Senate rules to drag out votes on nominations to the extent possible. They can delay committee hearings and force as many as 30 hours of floor debate on each nomination. As the Senate Republican Conference has been eager to remind us, they have already forced 100 cloture votes under Trump — unprecedented for any president’s first two years in office.
In short, the cancellation of the August recess is a win for everyone. Let’s hope Senate Republicans use the time wisely.
