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
I don’t understand. Of course there is an emergency, but how would their convening help with it? They said that if there is a bill that needs passing they will come back to pass it. What else could one expect?
Oh I don’t know, maybe some bipartisanship. That’s too much to ask for though when there’s money to be grifted.
What does that even mean? And what has it got to do with whether the House is in session? If you mean that they should negotiate the next bill in good faith instead of the way they did the last one (and every one before that), they can do that just as easily while in recess as while sitting. The negotiations don’t take place in the House anyway.
You know damn well a new relief bill for small businesses could be passed tomorrow if they really wanted to put aside the political games.
It’s really not that hard to figure out, Milhouse. Don’t be so dense. And they should be present for the vote, but Dems always want to find ways to make it easier to vote (and cheat on the vote).
There absolutely could be a bill passed through Congress by voice vote or unanimous consent this week if they wanted to, to give more money for small business relief. It’s the Democrats who are holding it up demanding money for other things. For the Ds bipartisanship is when the Republicans agree to their demands.
So in this case the Dems are using the health and safety of Members of Congress and thousands of staff as a bargaining chip to get their way on this small business funding bill. It will have to pass the Senate first, and they know that since it’s a GOP majority and they’d need 60 for cloture, McConnell can bring his whole caucus back to DC and it won’t make a difference if there are not 7 Democrats willing to show up and vote with them. That’s what happened with the $2.2 trillion bill; Senate Democrats stood in lockstep and refused cloture in order to try to add more stuff to an already-negotiated bill.
If there’s a bill to vote on, they’ll convene and vote on it. They said so. Now tell me how their convening for any other purpose would help.
I dislike using this language, but here he goes again, Mr. M being a haughty ass.
He does make a salient point, though. You don’t bring them back to just have them give floor speeches. There would be no committee hearings and no in-person meetings with anyone other than staff and other members. That is the majority of what most of them do every day when Congress is in session. Not only that, bring Congress back into session and you’re getting several thousand other people showing up too: the support staff, a larger cadre of police, the maintenance people, etc.
The DC metro area is still a hotspot. To have the lot of them in DC without them actually having something of import to vote on isn’t worth the time, expense, or health risk. With the advent of modern technology, they can do a lot of work, like holding meetings or getting involved in the negotiation of bills, while from home.
Hi P,
I think you mistook me. When it comes to Mr. M, I’m like a police officer that gives you a ticket just because he doesn’t like your attitude.
I’m no police officer, but Mr. M exudes an obnoxious haughty attitude, deigns to end discussions peremptorily, and thus, I don’t care if he tells us who cured cancer (‘coz he sure ain’t gonna be him), I’m downvoting him.
If he wants to pay me to tolerate his baloney, then I’ll quit downvoting him and pointing out what an obnoxious piece of work he is.
My House district switched to D in 2018. The Rep sent an email about having a town hall tonight. I just submitted a question about the delay to May 4th. I might actually listen into the session.
I suspect that the Ds will spend the time crafting an even larger bill than the list of demands that Pelosi brought up with the last bill.
The house can not screw things up and make worse when they are not in session
This gives them more time to campaign and fund raise at home.
The electorate needs to send a loud and strong message, vote them out, show them who holds the real power instead of being just a member of the corrupt flock.
We love to complain about them yet the same ones stay in office, often decade after decade.
From your keyboard to God’s ear…
Does Trump have the power to call Congress in emergency session?
If so then call them back. When in session, it turns out that several pages or assistants have COVID. Trump then puts Congress in isolation, with the condition they stay in Washington.
Find some sort of accommodations and keep them there until they all develop immunity.
“He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both houses or either of them; and in case of disagreement between them with respect to the time of adjournment he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper.”
So yes, but what would be the point? What good could it achieve?
U.S. Constitution – Article 2 Section 3
He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.
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