U.S. Senators on Track to Spend Least Amount of Time in Senate in 60 Years
Thanks to weekly four-day weekends and a general inclination to do anything other than legislate, The Politico reports this year’s Senate will likely spend the least amount of time in the Senate in more than 60 years.
This year, the Senate is set to spend just 124 days in session—a 2.9 day workweek. Must be nice.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When Sen. Mitch McConnell became Majority Leader in 2014, he promised the Senate would start working more. I don’t think we’ve had any votes on Friday in anybody’s memory,” he said at the time.
But as Politico points out, the Senate has not held a single Friday vote this year, resulting in a series of four-day weekends for legislators who would rather do anything but.
Vulnerable senators want to be back home campaigning for reelection and raising money, not in session from Monday morning until Friday evening on spending bills the House probably can’t even pass.
Few up for reelection are asking for McConnell to schedule more time in.
“The measure should be what we get done, not how much time here,” said Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, who is up for reelection. “Members of the Senate and House don’t go home to relax.”
Senate Republicans, who refuse to consider Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland and declined to pass a budget this year, say it’s the quality of their sessions, not the quantity, that should matter. Which they’re working on, as soon as they get back from vacation.