Congress May Postpone Recess to Work on Stopgap Spending Bill
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Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call(WASHINGTON) — Just how serious are Republicans about dealing with looming and potentially devastating fiscal issues? Serious enough to cancel yet another week of recess scheduled for the end of September.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Thursday, “The House may need to be in session during the week of Sept. 23 and possibly into the weekend.” A final decision will be made next week, according to the Virginia Republican.
Cantor’s announcement was welcomed by Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, who passed along the same message to Democratic lawmakers.
The GOP-controlled House may need the extra time to craft a stopgap spending bill in order for the government to keep operating next month.
Many Republicans with Tea Party links only want a bill that also defunds the Affordable Care Act, a maneuver harshly criticized by the White House.
However, House Speaker John Boehner suggested on Thursday that there was enough time to reach a consensus on a spending bill that could pass both chambers of Congress.
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