Senate takes recess, leaving only five days to pass six govt funding bills

Just The News ^ | January 17, 2026 | Thérèse Boudreaux

[deks]

U.S. senators have left town for a week-long recess, leaving themselves only five days to pass the six remaining federal government funding bills.

Four of those massive bills, which are also the thorniest, have not even passed the lower chamber, though House leaders hope to advance them in a package next week while the Senate is off.

If Congress fails to meet the deadline – which many, including the National Governors Association, anticipate – they face a partial government shutdown.

In that instance, the only way lawmakers could prevent a shutdown would be by punting the deadline via a Continuing Resolution, keeping agency funding levels on autopilot.

That would mark the fifth consecutive time Congress resorted to a stopgap instead of finishing appropriations on time.

In fact, nearly two years have passed since Congress refreshed annual federal funding levels, meaning dozens of departments, agencies and offices are still operating on funding levels from the Biden administration. Those include the departments of Defense, Transportation, Education, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Labor, and others.

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TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: 40trilliondebt; debt; deficit; dereliction; inflation; nobudget; thune; tuesdaythursdayclub

[daler]

And how about the SAVE Act?!?

[No name given]

Which senators?! We need names big time.

[No name given]

Exactly!

[Lurker]

A real recess?

L

[Paladin2]

Lazy Ba$t@rds.

[Paladin2]

The Lame Senate is certainly NOT capable of doing Tariff negotiations.

[lee martell]

That’s the best way to describe all the slow walking, foot dragging and kickin’ the can, which seems to be going on.

[Sacajaweau]

It needs 60 votes...forget it.

[gbunch]

A real recess?

L

I was wondering the same thing. As in, does this open the opportunity for recess appointments to be made?

[deks]

Yes, the Senate is in recess but continues the double-dealing by briefly convening next Tuesday morning to prevent any recess appointments by the President.

The House of Representatives remains in session.

[Paladin2]

After a minor reflection, I’d add the adjective “evil” [at least for most of them].

[deks]

RE: recess appointments

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https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4362872/posts?page=11#11

[deks]

*
Key Legal Standard: According to the Supreme Court’s 2014 decision in NLRB v. Noel Canning, a recess must last at least 10 days to qualify for recess appointments. Shorter breaks, especially those avoided via pro forma sessions every few days, do not count, even if the Senate is not conducting business.

Pro Forma Sessions: If the Senate holds pro forma sessions (brief, no-business meetings) every three days, it is considered in session for constitutional purposes, blocking recess appointments. The Court affirmed that “the Senate is in session when it says it is,” meaning the President cannot unilaterally declare a recess.

[grobdriver]

Why did Thune allow a recess?
There’s a job to do - do your damn jobs.

[Political Junkie Too]

In fact, nearly two years have passed since Congress refreshed annual federal funding levels, meaning dozens of departments, agencies and offices are still operating on funding levels from the Biden administration. Those include the departments of Defense

Article I Section 8 Clause 12 requires:

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

Is this the means that the Senate will use to stop President Trump from using the military?

-PJ

[VanShuyten]

I didn’t mind the last shutdown so much. It pissed off Mrs. VanShuyten.

“How come the stupid people get paid vacations while I have to work?”

[deks]

RE: Why did Thune allow a recess?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supposedly, it is to allow them to do “state work” back home. Let’s see if any senators are spotted on vacation in the Carribean instead.

[lee martell]

Absolutely!
Evil does not always make noise or draw attention to itself.

[SuperLuminal]

Both sides of the aisle are populated with scurolous, lazy, overpaid, wastes of skin...

However, you never saw the communists leave town without a pocketful of legislative actions detrimental to our freedoms and liberties to their credit...