Congress Prevents Shutdown By Leaving Washington

Congress unveiled its boldest strategy yet for preventing a government shutdown: leaving Washington and becoming impossible to negotiate with. The House departed for its August recess after approving a 220–205 stopgap measure funding federal agencies through Dec. 4, safely moving the next fiscal crisis into the holiday season, when Americans traditionally have more money and patience. The Senate began considering a different temporary bill before preparing to leave as well, preserving the chamber’s constitutional duty to disagree with the House from a separate vacation destination. Current funding expires Sept. 30, but lawmakers emphasized that deadlines cannot create pressure if nobody is at work to notice them.

House Speaker Mike Johnson described the recess as proactive governing and said Congress could not shut down the government after first shutting down Congress. “We are removing politics from the appropriations process by removing the politicians from the building, which is the cleanest continuing resolution anyone could possibly imagine,” Johnson said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune reported that negotiations were progressing, meaning senators had reached broad bipartisan agreement that a shutdown would be politically inconvenient before the midterm elections. President Donald Trump also predicted that the government was headed toward a shutdown, providing federal employees and financial markets the customary reassurance of hearing the president confidently announce the worst available outcome.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, criticized Republicans for advancing a one-sided measure immediately before recess, apparently relying on an obsolete definition of “regular order” involving hearings, negotiations and completed appropriations bills. Under the modern system, Congress passes temporary legislation, leaves town and returns later to denounce the emergency it scheduled. Federal workers were advised to prepare responsibly by saving several months of income, postponing medical needs and remembering that members of Congress will continue collecting salaries throughout any shutdown they created while unavailable for comment. By removing itself from the appropriations process, Congress had saved the government by abandoning it.

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