Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday announced that he’s canceling the Senate’s planned four-week recess in August.
“Due to the historic obstruction by Senate Democrats of the president’s nominees, and the goal of passing appropriations bills prior to the end of the fiscal year, the August recess has been canceled,” Mr. McConnell said in a statement.
Senators had been tentatively scheduled to be out of session from Aug. 6-Sept. 3.
Senators should still plan to have a “state work period” the first full week of August before returning for the rest of the month, according to Mr. McConnell’s office.
“Senators should expect to remain in session in August to pass legislation, including appropriations bills, and to make additional progress on the president’s nominees,” the Kentucky Republican said.
More than a dozen Senate Republicans had petitioned Mr. McConnell last month to keep the chamber in on nights, weekends, and even part of the scheduled August break to make more headway on the president’s agenda.
Mr. McConnell shortened last year’s August break as well, keeping senators in town to work on an Obamacare repeal plan and to confirm more of President Trump’s nominees.
Mr. Trump has been supportive of the idea of shortening or canceling the August break, citing the need to get next year’s spending bills done — including more money for his U.S.-Mexico border wall — and get through a backlog of his nominees.
Democrats have said there should be enough time in the schedule to get next year’s spending bills done before the next government funding deadline comes on Sept. 30....
They also say Republicans can’t simultaneously brag about the record number of appeals court judges the Senate has confirmed in the past year or so and say Democratic obstruction is thwarting the presidential nomination process.