Capitol Hill staff express concern as Mike Johnson keeps House in recess
The article discusses concerns among some GOP Capitol Hill staff and members regarding House Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to keep the House of representatives in recess for a third consecutive week amid the ongoing government shutdown. While House Republican leadership emphasizes that the House fulfilled its role by passing a short-term funding bill, some staffers and members feel that keeping the House out of session undermines their responsibilities, including swearing in newly elected members like Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva.
frustrations have been voiced publicly, with figures like Rep. Kevin Kiley criticizing the extended recess. Some senior GOP aides describe the situation as a difficult balance between practical considerations and negative optics.Simultaneously occurring, right-wing members of the House, including the House Freedom Caucus, support Johnson’s decision.Democrats have criticized House Republicans for seemingly being “on vacation” during the shutdown, contrasting their own caucus’s readiness to work.
The government funding bill passed by the House remains stalled in the Senate, with Democrats rejecting the GOP proposals and pushing their own plans, which Republicans oppose due to added provisions such as extending obamacare subsidies and restoring federal funding to NPR and PBS. Senate minority Leader Chuck Schumer is working to maintain Democratic unity to force a deal meeting their demands, but so far bipartisan support for the GOP bill is limited.
Capitol Hill staff express concern as Mike Johnson keeps House in recess
Some GOP Capitol Hill staffers remain wary of House Speaker Mike Johnson‘s (R-LA) decision to keep the lower chamber in recess for a third week despite the government shutdown.
House Republican leadership has repeatedly pushed the notion that the “House did its job” in passing its short-term Republican-backed deal to fund the government through Nov. 21 last month, as Johnson sought to pressure Senate Democrats to advance the GOP bill. Along with the government shutdown, leadership has held off on swearing in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won her special election in Arizona last month.
However, some members and staffers are getting restless with the leadership’s decision.
“I think the speaker is doing a disservice to the American people by not having the House here in DC and in session,” one Republican staffer told the Washington Examiner.
“The House should be in session for a number of reasons, including appropriations bills and swearing in the representative-elect. If working on the Hill has taught me one thing, it’s that you are here to get the job done on behalf of your constituents,” the staffer continued. “Therefore, denying Rep.-elect Grijalva the seat in which she won is denying her the ability to get the job done.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) expressed his frustration on X earlier this week, saying, “The Speaker shouldn’t even think about cancelling session for a third straight week,” prior to the decision to cancel votes next Tuesday. Johnson told members to remain on a 48-hour notice to come back to the Capitol as they remain in recess.
Other GOP Capitol Hill staffers told the Washington Examiner that they share the sentiment that there isn’t a “right or wrong play call,” as many agreed that messaging is beginning to “slip” as the government shutdown continues.
Another senior GOP aide called it a “lose-lose situation,” as the temperature at the Capitol remains high. He went on to say that “realistically it makes sense” to keep the House out of session, but “optics wise, it’s really tough.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) told CNN earlier this week that she believes Johnson should “really bring the House back in session for many reasons,” referring to the appropriations process and member-to-member meetings to discuss matters such as healthcare.
While these members and staff expressed their concerns, the right flank of the lower chamber expressed its unwavering support for the decision on Friday on a joint call with Johnson.
“Look, we back … the speaker is making the play call here,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) said on the call.
Democrats have continuously slammed Republicans for being “on vacation,” as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) kept his caucus in Washington, D.C., last week, saying it is “ready to work.” The Washington Examiner confirmed that House Democratic leadership told the caucus to be back in the district next Tuesday.
“House Republicans’ choice to remain in recess during the shutdown, I believe, will ultimately backfire,” a Senate Democratic staffer told the Washington Examiner. “While TSA, air traffic controllers, and our military are all expected to work without pay, Speaker Johnson has sent the House home.”
The staffer expressed frustration, pointing to when Republicans criticized former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for allowing members to proxy vote during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s funny that the same House Republicans criticized then Speaker Pelosi for allowing proxy voting during the pandemic, saying Democrats were on vacation while everyday Americans were expected to show up to work,” the staffer continued. “Now, during a crisis Republicans are responsible for, House Republicans are nowhere to be seen.”
The GOP seven-week funding bill passed the House last month, but has been held up in the Senate time and time again to reach the 60-vote threshold. Democrats have also put forth a plan, which has repeatedly been rejected, to keep the government open through Oct. 31. The plan includes various pet projects that Republicans oppose, such as permanently extending expiring Obamacare tax credits, rolling back Medicaid cuts in the “one big, beautiful bill,” and restoring federal aid to NPR and PBS.
As the House continues to put pressure on the upper chamber, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has continuously aimed to keep enough of his Democratic caucus in line to force Republicans to strike a deal that meets Democratic demands on healthcare. So far, only Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and two Democrats have backed the GOP plan.
Hailey Bullis contributed to this article.
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