House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Wednesday that Thursday’s scheduled floor votes are canceled, and lawmakers are expected to leave Washington after casting their final votes Wednesday night — beginning a recess that extends past the November midterm elections.
The announcement was first reported by Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin, who posted that Johnson told reporters “tomorrow’s House votes are cancelled & the House will likely leave after votes tonight and go on recess until after the November midterms.”
The House is scheduled to return to Washington, D.C. on Monday, November 9, 2026, the week following Election Day on November 3. That leaves Wednesday as, effectively, the last voting day before voters go to the polls.
Democrats push back over ‘AI crisis’
The early exit follows pressure from more than 100 House Democrats, who called on the Speaker to scrap the recess and keep the chamber in session to address what they described as an “AI crisis.” That effort did not change the schedule.
The move is the latest in a series of schedule trims. Earlier this month, the House cut the weeks of September 21 and September 28 from its calendar. After a brief return this week following the long August break, members now head home again well ahead of the original plan.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the House was expected to depart the week of September 21 — two weeks earlier than originally scheduled — while senators are expected to remain in the Capitol until October 2. With a continuing resolution already in place to fund the government, Congress was already bracing for an October recess in the run-up to the elections.
Thin legislative calendar ahead
Given the compressed timeframe and the approaching midterms, the House is not expected to take up major legislative proposals in the coming weeks, according to the coalition’s analysis. Senate members, meanwhile, are expected to focus on confirming federal judges ahead of their own October break.
Both chambers are scheduled to return November 9, leaving only about five weeks in session before the year — and the current congressional session — ends. Between November 9 and December 11, lawmakers will have to choose between passing all 12 remaining fiscal year 2027 spending bills, enacting another short-term continuing resolution to extend federal funding, or risking a government shutdown.
Which path Congress takes may hinge on whether control of the House or Senate shifts after the election. One option would be to clear all 12 FY27 spending bills before the year ends, handing the incoming Congress what observers describe as a “clean slate.” But if control of both chambers flips, lawmakers could instead hold off on finalizing those bills, giving the new Congress a chance to rewrite them in the new year.
The announcement drew criticism from those who note that members continue to collect their full salaries — a base rate of $174,000 a year, plus leadership stipends, benefits, and other perks — while taking extended time away from Washington. The contrast with typical private-sector workers, who often receive just two weeks of vacation if they are lucky, was a recurring theme in reactions to the recess.
For Johnson, the decision closes out a short work week that began with members returning from the August break and now ends with an exit that pushes the next round of legislative business until after voters have their say.
Source: www.thegatewaypundit.com — https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/speaker-mike-johnson-cancels-thursday-votes-sends-house/