Why there hasn't been a full Senate vote in seven months — and the problems it causes both parties
by Jack Birle, Breaking News Reporter |
March 20, 2023 08:43 AM
The Senate has had attendance problems in the last seven months, with at least one senator missing from the roll call in every vote since August 2022.
The 51-49 Democratic-held Senate has been reduced to a 49-48 Senate thanks to absences by both parties, with that number fluctuating from day to day, causing roadblocks in the upper chamber of Congress.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) have no timetable for when they plan to return to the Senate. McConnell, 81, is recovering from a concussion suffered during a fall. Fetterman, 53, is receiving treatment for depression, and Feinstein, 89, is receiving treatment for shingles.
McConnell's absence has required Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to run the GOP conference with assistance from McConnell's aides, while Sen. Bob Casey's (D-PA) staff has had to fulfill constituent requests and work on legislation for Fetterman, per Politico.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/hasnt-been-full-senate-vote-seven-months-problems-causes-both-parties
