The House of Representatives is in recess until September 20, 2021. The Senate plans to recess from August 2nd until September 10th. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, has put the House members on a twenty-four hour alert to return, if summoned to consider new legislation, possibly the Infrastructure Bill, which is making its way through the upper chamber.
Members of Congress are entitled to time off for holidays and relaxation, meeting with constituents, official travels and considering other matters pertaining to their districts or states. The only exception for recesses, according to the binding 1970 legislation, is “war”. And, in case, if Congress were doing its job, then electors would not deny members the time off.
But is the Congress really doing its job? One can argue that, many times in the past, Congress was not doing its jobs. In 1948, Harry Truman won re-election in part by discrediting what he called the “Do-Nothing” 80th Republican held Congress. Yet, today in terms of public opinion, Congress is badly failing.
According to Gallup, over the past ten years, Congress’ low point was 9% approval in November 2013 and high point in this year’s March was 36%, due to optimism over the change of party control in both Houses and the arrival of a new administration. The current approval rating is 26 percent and the trajectory is downwards. While, not being at a war, the nation is certainly flooded with crises.
The current approval rating is 26 percent and the trajectory is downwards. While, not being at a war, the nation is certainly flooded with crises.
With the eviction legislation expiring, renters will be forced to leave. While, landlords, who in many cases did not receive the rent for the past year, are free to find new clients, which might take time. And for the evicted, that will contribute to the homeless problems. Where was Congress?
The Covid-19 Delta variant appears to be returning with a vengeance. Nearly half the population remains unvaccinated, and there is confusion and lack of consensus over wearing masks, what is the Congress doing to cope with the pandemic? Not much!
Even if the Infrastructure Bill passes in the Senate, the House will not deliberate on it until the fall. The Reconciliation Bill is subjected to major debate as well as powerful dissent between the parties and among Democrats, especially in the Progressive wing, who argue that not enough has been done for the social infrastructure. Meanwhile, the international politics is not free of crises.
The pandemic is raging in much of the less developed world. An armed drone, presumably Iranian, attacked an Israeli-owned ship in the Persian Gulf, killing one person. Ebreham Raisi, considered a hardliner, will assume Iran’s presidency in a week’s time adding to the uncertainty of what might happen next. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s meeting last week with the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi was not productive and indeed combative. Beijing warned the British government about sailing its warships into the Chinese seas, whereas, some 240-300 new missile silos were detected under construction in China.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a worrying 5000 word essay on Ukraine, claiming that Ukrainians and Russians are one people. Some regard his essay as a prelude to an opportunistic and aggressive move in the region, whereas, there is no sign Moscow reversing its course on cyber espionage and intrusion into US networks.
From the perspective of White House, it would be hard to overload it with additional crises or problems, perhaps with Congress out of town that might grant a bit of relief with no doubt that the president will be on the phone with members cajoling, convincing or coercing them to support his legislation.
Anyhow, to compound the workload, the Senate left town, failing to confirm literally hundreds of nominees to important posts in the Executive Branch and embassies, where the absence of so many ambassadors are causing allies, friends and others to question American commitment. That has also put further pressure on the Secretary of State to travel as a de facto ambassador to represent the US, a stopgap, at best for the lack of ambassadorial representation.
What does this mean? Do we really have a serious government if it remains absent at serious times? Given the low approval ratings, some Americans may conclude that even if business is not being done, the condition is not different from when Congress is in session. So perhaps having Congress on a long break is not a bad solution. This reaction alone should alarm Americans. But will it cause Congress to act? That answer will derive even lower ratings.
The writer is Chairman of two private companies; senior adviser at the Atlantic Council; and Distinguished Senior Fellow and Visiting Professor at the US Naval War College in Newport Rhode Island.