House Republicans announced Friday that the chamber will remain out of session next week as the government shutdown continues.
The move is designed to put pressure on Senate Democrats to vote for a House-passed stopgap spending bill to reopen the government through Nov. 21. The Senate voted on the bill for the fourth time Friday, but it continues to fall short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster.
The House has been on recess for two weeks, the first of which was previously scheduled. But after passing the stopgap bill before the recess, House GOP leaders canceled votes that had been planned for the two days leading up to the shutdown that began Wednesday.
On Friday afternoon, House GOP leaders announced that the House would also not hold any votes Oct. 7-13 as previously scheduled, and instead will use the week as a district work period.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, hinted earlier that morning the move was coming as he insisted the only way out of the shutdown is for the Senate to pass the House’s stopgap spending bill.
“We passed it, and it’s been rejected by the Senate,” he said. “So the House will come back into session and do its work as soon as [Senate Democratic leader Charles E.] Schumer allows us to reopen the government. That’s plain, simple.”
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said his caucus will still be in Washington next week and ready to work on a bipartisan solution to reopen the government.
Sen. Brian Schatz, Hawaii Democrat, said House Republicans refusing to come back to Washington is “a clear illustration of their lack of seriousness in terms of reopening the government.”
The House extending its recess also helps the chamber temporarily avoid a confrontation over the Jeffrey Epstein case files.
Republican leaders have declined during pro forma sessions over the recess to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, Arizona Democrat, who is set to become the 218th and final signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on a measure to require the Justice Department to release case files on its investigation of Epstein’s sex trafficking crimes.
Ms. Grijalva won a Sept. 23 special election to fill the House seat left vacant after her father, Raúl Grijalva, died while in office.
Mr. Jeffries said he had expected Ms. Grijalva would be sworn in when the House returned on Tuesday, but GOP leaders’ extension of the recess will likely further delay her swearing in.
“I think part of the reason why Johnson sent us home is because we now have the votes to force the release of the Epstein files and he didn’t want that to happen,” Rep. Sean Casten, Illinois Democrat, said in a video posted to social media.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.