Democrats hear calls to nix recess
By Alexander Bolton - 06/24/21 06:00 AM EDT
Democratic senators are starting to say the August recess, or at least part of it, should be in peril as the party falls further behind on its legislative agenda.
Bipartisan infrastructure talks have bogged down, and Senate Democrats have only just started work on a reconciliation package, which they hope to use to pass legislative priorities that don’t have Republican support.
Negotiations on police reform, one of the few areas where senators feel more confident about a potential deal, have slowed down. And there’s no progress to report on immigration reform or gun violence legislation. A GOP filibuster on Tuesday prevented the Democratic voting rights bill from even getting a debate on the Senate floor.
Senators are scheduled to leave town for a two-week recess starting Friday. After that, the Senate will be in session for four weeks, until Aug. 6, when it is scheduled to take another long recess until Sept. 13.
A growing number of progressives say Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) needs to think about revising the schedule, arguing the “historic” opportunity to pass a big, bold infrastructure bill is fast disappearing.
“I’m in favor of working right through” the August recess, said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/559986-democrats-hear-calls-to-nix-recess
