PoliticsPolitics houseCongress

House To Return From Monthlong Vacation To Grueling, 9-Day Work Month

House Returning From Monthlong Vacation To Grueling, 9-Day Work Month
Open Image Modal
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

|
Open Image Modal
House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, right, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Republican from Virginia, speak during a press conference in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, July 14, 2011. Boehner said he's glad Cantor is involved in deficit-cutting talks, following Democratic criticism that Cantor is hindering progress. Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images

After taking almost the entire month of August off, House leadership has penciled in just nine workdays for September.

The official calendar has been out since January, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called attention to the House's sparsely populated schedule in a press conference Thursday.

Reid's reminder came just hours after Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) attempted to push back against reports that have found decreasing levels of productivity in Congress over the past few years. Reviews of the total number of bills passed in the 112th Congress showed that it was the least productive session since the 1940s. The 113th is currently on pace to get even less done than that.

While September may not be a particularly busy month, the Washington Post reported earlier this year that the 126 workdays scheduled for 2013 were actually an increase from the 2012 calendar.

Support HuffPost

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your will go a long way.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Speakers Of The House (1920-Present)
John Boehner (01 of17)
Open Image Modal
Speaker Of The House, 112th Congress (2011-present) (credit:(Photo by Allison Shelley/Getty Images) )
Nancy Pelosi (02 of17)
Open Image Modal
Speaker Of The House, 110th & 111th Congress (2007-2011) (credit:(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) )
Dennis Hastert (03 of17)
Open Image Modal
Speaker Of The House, 106th-109th Congress (1999-2007) (credit:(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) )
Newt Gingrich(04 of17)
Open Image Modal
Speaker Of The House, 104th & 105th Congress (1995-99) (credit:(RICHARD ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images) )
Thomas Foley(05 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured left) Speaker Of The House, 101st-103rd Congress (1989-95) (credit:(LUKE FRAZZA/AFP/Getty Images))
Jim Wright (06 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured right) Speaker Of The House, 100th & 101st Congress (1987-89). Resigned from the House of Representatives on June 6, 1989. (credit:(AP Photo/Lana Harris) )
Tip O'Neill(07 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured center) Speaker Of The House, 95th-99th Congress (1977-87) (credit:(AP Photo) )
Carl Albert (08 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured center) Speaker Of The House, 92nd-94th Congress (1971-77) (credit:(AP Photo) )
John McCormack (09 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured center) Speaker Of The House, 87th-91st Congress (1962-71) (credit:(AP Photo))
Sam Rayburn (10 of17)
Open Image Modal
Speaker Of The House, 76th-79th Congress (1940-47), 81st & 82nd Congress (1949-53), 84th-87th Congress (1955-61). Died on Nov. 16, 1961. (credit:(AP Photo))
Joe Martin (11 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured right) Speaker Of The House, 80th & 83rd Congress (1947-49, 1953-55) (credit:(AP Photo/ John Lindsay) )
William Bankhead (12 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured back row, left) Speaker Of The House, 74th-76th Congress (1936-1940). Took over after the death of Joseph Byrns on June 4, 1936. Died in office on Sept. 15, 1940. (credit:(AP Photo))
Joseph Byrns (13 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured left) Speaker Of The House, 74th Congress (1935-36). Took over after the death of Henry Rainey on Aug. 19, 1934. Died in office on June 4, 1936. (credit:(AP Photo))
Henry Rainey (14 of17)
Open Image Modal
Speaker Of The House, 73rd Congress (1933-34). Died in office on Aug. 19, 1934. (credit:(AP Photo) )
John Garner (15 of17)
Open Image Modal
Speaker Of The House, 72nd Congress (1931-33) (credit:(AP Photo) )
Nicholas Longworth (16 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured back row, 2nd from right) Speaker Of The House, 69th-71st Congress (1925-31) (credit:(AP Photo) )
Frederick Gillett(17 of17)
Open Image Modal
(Pictured second from left) Speaker Of The House, 66th-68th Congress (1919-25) (credit:(AP Photo))
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip