Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would keep the House functioning in August, but failed to pass a full list of 12 appropriations bills.
The “Our Work Act” would cancel the August recess – the longest recess of the year – unless all bills were passed.
“The American people don’t go home until they finish their work, so why should Congress do so?” Edwards said in comments from the ground on Wednesday. “In the nearly five decades that our current appropriations process has been in place, Congress has passed all 12 appropriations bills only four times. Four times in almost 50 years.”
“The American people have been too generous to us and their patience is running out,” he continued. “We are here to represent your interests and to keep this government running. It’s time we take our responsibility seriously, put our heads down, and get to work on passing appropriations bills every year.”
Passing all 12 bills has been a priority for the House GOP. The effort and debates surrounding it contributed to the downfall of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and increased discontent with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Johnson has so far been unable to reach an agreement with the Senate on government funding, and the September funding deadline sets up another battle in the appropriations process that has dominated the House’s work for a year.
During the months of negotiations over fiscal 2024 funding, the House approved just seven of 12 bills.
There are seven weeks of work left, including this week, until the end of the fiscal year on September 30, which marks the deadline for passing appropriations bills. So far, the House has passed a spending bill for fiscal year 2025 that funds the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction.
Canceling the August recess would increase that total to 11 work weeks, although the change would reduce the amount of time members could spend in their districts.
“If the appropriations work isn’t done, we won’t go home. It’s that simple,” Edwards said. “The American people deserve better than an 8% success rate in funding our government.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
