'Staycation': House Votes Against Adjournment

'Staycation': House Votes Against Adjournment

On Thursday, Democrats in the House were joined by 78 Republicans to vote against adjourning for the August recess. The Hill reports the vote was 150-265 against adjourning. Every Democrat voted against adjournment. 

Some of the 78 Republicans who voted with Democrats did so in protest of the lack of a farm bill while others did so because they wanted to prevent President Barack Obama from making recess appointments. Other Republicans voted with Democrats because they were afraid of being caught up in bad optics, as Democrats threatened to play politics with the adjournment vote. 

The Senate voted to adjourn, but both chambers of Congress will have to engage in pro-forma sessions (legislators will gavel in and gavel out after the Pledge of Allegiance) because, under the Constitution, neither chamber can adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other.  

Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution reads: “Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days …”

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