Missing in Action: Dems Have No Plans To Reconvene House of Representatives Until May
Steny Hoyer says ‘Absent an Emergency’ House will stay home for weeks. “The move extends a prolonged recess that began in March 12, and it abandons a plan to reconvene on April 20.”
House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) informed House Democrats Monday that they would not reconvene until May, barring some sort of emergency.
Do Democrats think we’re not in an emergency?
Cortney O’Brien writes at Townhall:
Dem Leader Explains They’re Not Meeting Before May ‘Absent an Emergency’
Does a pandemic that has killed thousands of people around the globe, shuttered the American economy and resulted in a nearly 20 percent unemployment rate qualify as an “emergency?” Not in the mind of Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. As he explained to the press on Monday, the House of Representatives would not be meeting again before May 4, “absent an emergency.” They had initially planned to reconvene on April 20.
Susan Ferrechio of the Washington Examiner has more:
Democrats meet by phone after House postpones reconvening until May 4
House lawmakers won’t return to the Capitol until May 4 or later due to the threat of the coronavirus Democratic leaders told rank-and-file members on Monday.
The move extends a prolonged recess that began in March 12, and it abandons a plan to reconvene on April 20.
“Members are further advised if the House is required to take action on critical legislation related to the coronavirus response or other legislative priorities, members will be given sufficient notice to return to Washington D.C.,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, told Democrats in a letter.
“Absent an emergency, the House is not expected to meet prior to Monday, May 4, 2020.” — Steny Hoyer email
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) April 13, 2020
HOYER to House Dems: “Members are advised that absent an emergency, the House is not expected to meet prior to Monday, May 4, 2020. “
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 13, 2020
The reaction on Twitter was swift:
Oh, luckily there’s nothing going on that could qualify as an emergency at the moment. https://t.co/Gz0DzUIlj7
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) April 13, 2020
Absent an emergency? Dude, where have you been? https://t.co/W3lBL65HU5
— Joshua Holland ? (@JoshuaHol) April 13, 2020
can someone please tell me how approaching 40% unemployment isn’t an emergency https://t.co/bTZhvMpm5k
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) April 13, 2020
Literally all 50 states are in a state of emergency.
— Zack (@ZackC428) April 13, 2020
It is a fucking emergency…my god https://t.co/AQlqYaRWRt
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) April 13, 2020
Not for Democrats.
They know that media will dutifully deflect any negative impacts of this to Trump instead of them.
What do they care? https://t.co/4WqaoHyimg
— RBe (@RBPundit) April 13, 2020
This is reminiscent of a scene in the 1985 film The Sure Thing. The two main characters are traveling to California during spring break and find themselves caught without money, lodging or transportation during a rainstorm:
Featured image via YouTube.
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Comments
America is MUCH SAFER when its democrats are not in Washington, D.C.
This seems to me to be a curious position that the d majority leader of the HoR is taking: namely that the normal operation of the HoR is in essence not essential.
To be clear I am not opposed to that concept, in fact I agree with it. Where the majority leader and I disagree is the timeframe. I believe that the vast majority of what the HoR does is not essential and should be curtailed, while Representative Hoyer seems to believe that the HoR is nonessential only during the current pandemic. A situation in which we have idled the national economy and where the requests for additional funding in support of previously agreed to legislation is not being met due to, IMO, partisan political disagreement with the administration.
I am sure that we all appreciate the ‘courage’ on display by our elected representatives which stands in stark contrast to the actions of the Continental Congress who pledged their live, their fortunes and their sacred honor. If these elected officials are too fearful of a virus that from current reports, is fatal in less than one percent of infections and in which apparently less than 15% of the people are being infected then they should be honest enough to admit that and resign their office and from public life.
Many states have not held primary elections so these cowardly members could conceivably be replaced on the party primary ballots and certainly on the general election ballots. That they choose not to do so speaks volumes, IMO.
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