Does Congress go on recess too often and for too long?

Tampa FL

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The Senate took a three week recess after just one day. I’d love to get a job where I can take three weeks off after working one day. Congress goes on recess the entire week of most federal holidays, two weeks around Easter and Passover, the entire month of August, and in election years, most or all of October. They usually leave for Christmas in mid-December. Do you have a job where you can take this much time off? Over 100 years ago, Congress was out of session for most of summer because air conditioning wasn’t invented and the heat was unbearable. But to this day, they still take the entire month of August off. Robert Wittman from Virginia often asked Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi to cancel August recess to work on passing a budget. I’m pretty sure he will ask Kevin McCarthy to cancel recess this year too. “Congress has been broken for far too long, and my Republican colleagues and I intend to keep our promise to bring transparency and accountability back to Washington,” said Congressman Wittman. “These bills would return Congress to regular order—moving spending bills through the committee process where we read, debate, and vote on them. Our broken budget process requires full transparency and accountability in order to rein in wasteful and irresponsible spending. The answer is simple: Members of Congress need to get their work done and be held accountable if they don’t.” The No Budget No Pay Act withholds Member pay if a budget isn’t passed by April 15. This bill would serve as an enforcement measure to hold members of Congress accountable for their actions. The Stay on Schedule Resolution would require the House to stay in session through August instead of taking a month-long recess – if all appropriations bills are not passed by the end of July. Inaction has Consequences Act would withhold Member pay if all 12 appropriations bills are not done by the end of the fiscal year. Recess is officially called “district work period” or “state work period”, but many lawmakers often go on foreign trips. I think Congress should be in session 5 days a week year round with no days off except for federal holidays. There are 11 of them.