Politics & Government
Has Congress Earned Its Summer Recess?
A recent poll shows voters are looking for fewer beach trips and more work from legislators.
By Greg Hambrick
Most of us haven’t seen a recess since we stopped carrying a pencil holder, but Congress gets a month away from the classroom every August.
We know the "recess" includes community meetings and other events with the voters who sent them to Washington, but its also a time for legislators to take a break — and voters who don't get summer breaks aren’t happy.
A Fox News poll this week found 14 percent of voters think Congress has worked hard enough to deserve a summer recess, while 82 percent do not.
The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein pointed out recently that this isn’t your childhood recess.
“No one plays kickball,” he wrote. “There aren’t juice boxes. (Well, there might be some juice boxes.) When Congress goes on recess, they’re still working.”
But some still argue these legislators have hit the playground without finishing their classwork.
The Huffington Post points out that the current session of Congress may be the least productive in modern history. As of July 8, it had passed only 15 bills that were then signed into law, a record low since at least the 1940s.
Is it good that our Virginia lawmakers are getting back to their hometowns? Or would voters be better served with another month in Washington? Tell us what you think in the comments.
Most of us haven’t seen a recess since we stopped carrying a pencil holder, but Congress gets a month away from the classroom every August.
We know the "recess" includes community meetings and other events with the voters who sent them to Washington, but its also a time for legislators to take a break — and voters who don't get summer breaks aren’t happy.
A Fox News poll this week found 14 percent of voters think Congress has worked hard enough to deserve a summer recess, while 82 percent do not.
The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein pointed out recently that this isn’t your childhood recess.
“No one plays kickball,” he wrote. “There aren’t juice boxes. (Well, there might be some juice boxes.) When Congress goes on recess, they’re still working.”
But some still argue these legislators have hit the playground without finishing their classwork.
The Huffington Post points out that the current session of Congress may be the least productive in modern history. As of July 8, it had passed only 15 bills that were then signed into law, a record low since at least the 1940s.
Is it good that our Virginia lawmakers are getting back to their hometowns? Or would voters be better served with another month in Washington? Tell us what you think in the comments.
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