As millions of Americans head off to work each morning, balancing family budgets, worrying about rising costs, paying taxes, and trying to keep their businesses afloat, there is one group of people who seem to operate under a completely different set of rules: members of Congress.
The U.S. House and Senate are once again preparing for their lengthy summer recess, taking weeks away from Washington while many of the nation’s most pressing problems remain unresolved.
The Senate has decided to take June 27 to July 12 off, then August 10 to September 14. The House of Representatives will be off June 11 to June 22 and then August 1 to September 14. They are back in session briefly on Sept. 1,2,3. Add it all up and both chambers are taking a six week vacation.
Consider what is currently sitting on Congress’ plate and why our legislatures ought to spend more time in Washington. The national debt continues to soar past $37 trillion. Border security remains a contentious issue. Americans are concerned about inflation and the price of gas, housing affordability, Medicare, Social Security, and national security threats around the globe. Yet lawmakers will soon scatter across the country for a summer break that many working Americans can only dream about.
To be fair, members of Congress will argue that they are not truly on vacation. They will say they are meeting with constituents, attending events in their districts, and conducting official business. Some undoubtedly do.
But let’s be honest. If an employee told his boss he needed six or seven weeks away from the office because he planned to meet customers occasionally, most employers would laugh him out of the room.
The average American worker receives about two weeks of paid vacation annually. Many small business owners take none at all. Farmers don’t get summers off. Factory workers don’t get summers off. Teachers may have summers away from the classroom, but many spend that time preparing for the next school year or working additional jobs.
Congress, meanwhile, often spends fewer than half the days of the year actually in session.
The Founding Fathers never envisioned a full-time political class. In the early days of the republic, legislators traveled long distances by horse and carriage and still managed to conduct the nation’s business. Today, members can fly across the country in a matter of hours and communicate instantly with anyone on the planet. Technology has eliminated many of the logistical challenges that once justified lengthy recesses.
What message does it send when lawmakers leave Washington while major issues remain unresolved? It suggests that politics has become more about campaigning than governing.
Americans don’t elect senators and representatives to spend their time raising campaign money, attending fundraisers, or preparing for the next election. They elect them to solve problems.
If Congress completed its work on time, balanced budgets, passed appropriations bills before deadlines, and addressed the nation’s challenges in a responsible manner, perhaps these lengthy recesses would be easier to justify.
But that’s not what Americans see.
Instead, they see deadlines missed, budgets passed at the last minute, partisan gridlock, and endless finger-pointing. Then, when summer arrives, Congress heads for the exits.
Perhaps it’s time to rethink the congressional calendar. Maybe lawmakers should spend more time legislating and less time campaigning. Maybe Congress should work a schedule that more closely resembles the people they represent.
After all, the American taxpayer is footing the bill.
The next time members of Congress prepare for another extended recess, they should remember the people who sent them there—the workers, business owners, farmers, nurses, truck drivers, and retirees who don’t have the luxury of simply walking away from their responsibilities for weeks at a time.
Washington likes to call Congress “the people’s house.”
