Every year, the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate release their official calendars, and every year the same disbelief follows: this is how many days our elected lawmakers plan to work?
I saw the House of Representatives schedule for next year and was aghast. I knew they weren’t in session during August and around the Christmas holiday season, but my mouth dropped when I saw the 2026 schedule.
For an institution responsible for crafting laws, approving budgets, and overseeing a massive federal government, Congress spends shockingly few days actually in session.
In a typical year, the House gavels in for roughly 110–130 days. The Senate meets slightly more, often averaging around 150. Compare that to the standard American worker who puts in 240-plus workdays annually, and it becomes clear that our legislative branch operates on a schedule that would make even the most generous corporate HR manager blush.
I don’t mind that they don’t craft additional laws. In my opinion there are too many on the books. But didn’t we just endure the longest government shutdown in history, only to extend the budget down the road until the end of January? Shouldn’t our legislators be hard at work, solidifying that budget, or will we face another shutdown in January?
Defenders are quick to point out that members of Congress work in their districts when they’re not in Washington. Yes, district work is important—meeting constituents, attending events, and staying connected to local issues. But no matter how you spin it, Washington is where legislation is written, budgets are negotiated, hearings are held, and national problems are solved. And Washington is where Congress simply doesn’t spend enough time.
The consequences are visible. Major legislation sits stalled, not because disagreements can’t be resolved, but because lawmakers spend too little time in the same building to resolve them. It is difficult to negotiate compromises or build relationships when members pack up and fly home every Thursday afternoon.
A shorter work calendar also fuels political dysfunction. When Congress is barely in session, every day becomes a high-stakes, high-drama performance. There’s no time for patience, no time for careful review, and certainly no time for the kind of bipartisan conversations that used to happen organically, often after hours or between votes. Today, the congressional clock is so compressed that every issue is treated like an emergency—but few are actually solved.
Worse, Congress’ abbreviated schedule sends a message, intentionally or not: that governing is a side job, not a full-time responsibility. Imagine the reaction if teachers, firefighters, nurses, or factory workers announced they would be on the job only a few days each month. Yet the people responsible for appropriating trillions of dollars and passing laws affecting 330 million Americans operate exactly that way.
Imagine receiving $170,000 and health and retirement benefits for life for a side gig. No wonder so many people. It’s utterly ridiculous, but hey, it’s our money that pays these politicians. We need to force them to earn it.
It doesn’t have to be like this. A serious, modern Congress should—at minimum—double its time in Washington. The institution needs to function more like a real workplace: more debate, more bipartisan committees meeting, more room for negotiations, and more accountability for accomplishing what they were elected to do. Democracy is not strengthened by absentee governance.
Americans expect productivity, accountability, and results from their representatives. The first step toward that is simple: show up. If Congress wants to regain the public’s trust, it should start by working the number of days worthy of the job.
