Thanksgiving Recess
by Kitty Felde
“The doors on the second floor of the Capitol flew open. One by one, then in groups of twos and threes, and finally an entire flood of lawmakers streamed out the doors and down the stairs. Votes were over.
The Thanksgiving recess had officially begun.”
Congressional Thanksgiving 2023
Congress has left town after partially funding federal agencies into the new year. House Speaker Mike Johnson labeled the temporary money measure a "laddered" approach to keep the government running. Critics from his own party say it's just another name for a congressional staple: a continuing resolution. In other words, rather than a series of bank CDs that mature every few years, the House laddered measure means the money runs out for some parts of the government in mid-January and the rest in February.
Congress will have to work fast. A quick glance at the calendar shows there are few actual "work days" left before the Christmas holidays.
Ho Ho Ho
Congress usually manages to tie a bow on urgent legislation - though it should be noted that funding for weapons for Ukraine and Israel was left under the Christmas tree as members flew home for the holidays.
It's a rare thing when Congress spends the holidays in the Capitol. The last time was Christmas Eve, 2009, when the Senate finally found the 60 votes necessary to approve the Affordable Care Act.
So What do Lawmakers Do Back Home?
It's not all fun and games and lots of eggnog once members get back to their district.
Back home, members of Congress meet with constituents at parades, town halls, and various “meet and greets.”
Lawmakers often appear at events where federal dollars were spent on local projects.
Members often make themselves available to the media, appearing on the Sunday talk shows, talking to local reporters, even appearing on podcasts. (On the right, that’s Congressman Mark Takano appearing on the Book Club for Kids podcast.)
They also meet with staff members who work out of their district office.
The Christmas holidays aren't the longest break Congress gets from working on Capitol Hill. August is nearly always an entire month of “District Work Period.”
The tradition began in 1791, long before there was air conditioning, when anyone who could, would escape Washington D.C. during the worst of the heat and humidity.
In the 1960’s jets made cross country travel easier and lawmakers would fly back and forth every week. Younger lawmakers lobbied older members to let them go home to spend time with their families. Senate Historian Don Ritchie says members were “looking for regularity and wanted to be able to promise their families in January that they could have an August vacation,” It became law in 1970.
The law allows lawmakers to vote to push back the recess if there’s urgent business. Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine were not deemed urgent this year.
Listen to the Bonus Episode and follow Fina and the entire Mendoza family as they fly back to California for the Thanksgiving holiday. But there’s more than turkey on the schedule. Fina joins her father, riding in a parade and attending an event for veterans. Oh, and then there’s the fender bender…