House Returns to Session After Prolonged Absence, Government Shutdown
The House of Representatives has returned to session after a prolonged absence, marking the end of the chamber’s longest period of inactivity in recent memory. The House had been out of session since September 19, when it passed a Republican measure to fund the government until November 21. However, the funding bill stalled in the Senate, where it required Democratic support for passage. A breakthrough in the seven-week stalemate was reached when several Democratic senators cut a deal with Republicans to end the shutdown.
The Senate amended the House-passed bill to include three full-year appropriations bills, while extending the remainder of government funding until January 30. In exchange for their votes, Senate Republicans promised Democrats they would have a vote on tax credits that expire at the end of the year and help millions of Americans afford health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Most Democrats opposed the deal, but the party now appears to be shifting focus to the upcoming fight over healthcare.
The Impact of the House’s Absence
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, had canceled weeks of votes and committee hearings, arguing that the House had done its job after the mid-September vote. Johnson’s decision to cancel weeks in session fueled backlash from House Democrats, who have repeatedly called on the GOP leader to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat who was elected to her late father’s seat in Arizona on September 23. Democrats, and some Republicans, saw Johnson’s resistance to immediately swearing her in as an attempt to delay a vote on releasing files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Johnson also faced criticism from some Republicans over the House’s lengthy absence. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, one of Johnson’s top GOP critics over the decision to keep members away from Washington, told “The Megyn Kelly Show” that Republicans’ House majority “is being ruined” by “inaction.” Noting the September vote, Greene said the House hasn’t “been to work since.” Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, who stayed in Washington over the shutdown, argued that the shutdown could have ended sooner “if we actually had the House of Representatives in town.”
Upcoming Challenges
In order to end the shutdown, Johnson will have to keep his often-divided conference together, which could prove easier with President Trump’s backing of the Senate deal. The chamber is set to vote on the final version of the legislation on Wednesday. House Republicans can afford to lose only two votes if all members are present and voting. Two Republicans voted against the original version of the bill when it cleared the House on September 19, though it also had the support of one Democrat.
The House will also have to confront the expiring health care subsidies in the coming weeks. Johnson has not committed to holding a vote on the issue if an extension makes it out of the Senate. Millions of Americans will see their insurance premiums skyrocket next year without an extension or other fix. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, is considering a discharge petition to sidestep Johnson and force a vote on the expiring tax credits. Democrats would need the support of at least four Republicans.
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