Washington — The House returns Wednesday for the first time since the start of the government shutdown and nearly two months after it last voted, bringing an end to the chamber’s longest absence in recent memory.
The House has been out of session since Sept. 19, when it passed a Republican measure to fund the government until Nov. 21. But the funding bill stalled in the Senate, where it needed Democratic support for passage. A breakthrough in the seven-week stalemate came this week when several Democratic senators cut a deal with Republicans to end the shutdown.
The Senate amended the House-passed bill to include three full-year appropriations bills, while extending the remainder of government funding until Jan. 30.
In exchange for their votes, Senate Republicans promised Democrats they would have a vote on tax credits that expire at the end of the year and help millions of Americans afford health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Most Democrats opposed the deal, but the party now appears to be shifting focus to the upcoming fight over health care.
The House’s absence
Arguing that the House had done its job after the mid-September vote, Johnson canceled weeks of votes and committee hearings were put on hold.
“We have a lot of business to do,” Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said Monday. “There’ll be long days and long nights here for the foreseeable future to make up for all this lost time that was imposed upon us.”
Johnson’s decision to cancel weeks in session fueled backlash from House Democrats, who have repeatedly called on the GOP leader to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat who was elected to her late father’s seat in Arizona on Sept. 23.
Democrats, and some Republicans, saw Johnson’s resistance to immediately swearing her in as an attempt to delay a vote on releasing files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Grijalva will be the final signature on a discharge petition, spearheaded by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, that will force a vote on the issue and could embarrass President Trump.
Johnson also faced criticism from some Republicans over the House’s lengthy absence.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, one of Johnson’s top GOP critics over the decision to keep members away from Washington, told “The Megyn Kelly Show” this week that Republicans’ House majority “is being ruined” by “inaction.” Noting the September vote, Greene said the House hasn’t “been to work since.”
Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, who stayed in Washington over the shutdown, had argued that the shutdown could have ended sooner “if we actually had the House of Representatives in town.”
In order to end the shutdown, Johnson will have to keep his often-divided conference together, which could prove easier with President Trump’s backing of the Senate deal. The chamber is set to vote on the final version of the legislation on Wednesday.
House Republicans can afford to lose only two votes if all members are present and voting. Two Republicans voted against the original version of the bill when it cleared the House on Sept. 19, though it also had the support of one Democrat.
But lawmakers could face travel disruptions on their way back with thousands of flight delays and cancellations around the U.S. as the Federal Aviation Administration limits flights due to staffing issues caused by the shutdown. Johnson urged House members ahead of final passage in the Senate to begin traveling to Washington “right now.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said Monday he expects all members of his party will make it back in time for the vote.
“I expect that everyone’s going to be back, and we’ll be at full strength,” Jeffries, who could face defections of his own during the vote, told reporters.
The House will also have to confront the expiring health care subsidies in the coming weeks. Johnson has not committed to holding a vote on the issue if an extension makes it out of the Senate. Millions of Americans will see their insurance premiums skyrocket next year without an extension or other fix.
Jeffries is considering a discharge petition to sidestep Johnson and force a vote on the expiring tax credits. Democrats would need the support of at least four Republicans.