Mitch McConnell cancels Senate's traditional August recess

AZRWinger · #1 (**permalink**) 06-07-2018, 01:06 PM

At least 8 months overdue, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has canceled the August vacation until gasp, the Senators achieve two performance goals, deal with the backlog of appointment confirmations and pass appropriations for the next fiscal year.

Quote:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday that he’s canceled most of the chamber's traditional August recess, citing Democrats' "obstruction" and the need to pass spending bills.

Those of us who have toiled in the real world are familiar with the principle of finishing your essential work before going on vacation. But the Democrats work is Resistance so doing nothing then going on vacation is the perverted objective.

In the press conference where the vacation was canceled McConnell mentioned President Trump's promise not to sign another continuing resolution as the reason for the Senate to pass appropriations bills. Thanks President Trump for insisting Congress follow normal order.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxne...ecess.amp.html

cnredd · #2 (**permalink**) 06-07-2018, 01:19 PM

And the backlog is due to the Democrats slow-walking almost every Trump appointee...Positions haven't been filled because the Dems keep throwing procedural obstacles in the way...

Democrats block dozens of Trump nominees

Quote:

About 100 of President Donald Trump’s nominees have been kicked back to the White House, prolonging an unusually high number of vacancies across his administration and escalating the Senate’s long-running nomination wars.

...In a less divisive political atmosphere, lawmakers would have approved a unanimous consent agreement allowing the nominees to carry over into next year. Such agreements have rarely been controversial.

Any one senator can object to allowing a nominee to be carried over. Though it's likely Democrats are responsible for most of the rejections, Republicans also could have triggered some, too.

During the first year of the Obama administration, only eight nominees were not carried over into the next session, according to Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who has been researching the issue. President George W. Bush had just two picks returned to the White House.

“It definitely violates precedent,” Lankford said of sending back so many nominees. “That’s just a sign of the times that people are looking for a rule to be able to slow the Senate down even more. ... That’s making a bad situation worse.”

AZRWinger · #3 (**permalink**) 06-07-2018, 02:05 PM

I believe McConnell timed the announcement to allow the Senators time to get off their lead behinds to save something truly important to them, their vacation.

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