Politics

McConnell Cancels August Recess … Kind Of

No featured image available

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday afternoon he is canceling the August recess.

Senators are expected to return home for state work during the first week of August, but are expected to be in for the remaining three weeks of the month.

“Due to the historic obstruction by Senate Democrats of the president’s nominees, and the goal of passing appropriations bills prior to the end of the fiscal year, the August recess has been canceled,” McConnell announced Tuesday in a statement. “Senators should expect to remain in session in August to pass legislation, including appropriations bills, and to make additional progress on the president’s nominees.”

The announcement comes after a group of 16 Republican senators, with Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia leading the charge, pressured McConnell in early May to cancel the August recess.

The coalition of Republican senators urged McConnell to make the Senate work through Friday and on some weekends (senators typically go home to their districts on Thursday afternoon) and cancel the August recess — a request newer GOP senators and the president asked of leadership in 2017 in order to get action on repealing and replacing Obamacare.

Follow Robert Donachie on Twitter and Facebook

Send tips to robert@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.