House Speaker Orders District Service Period Amid Ongoing Government Shutdown

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has asked Congress members to stay in their home districts next week. This move is intended to keep the focus on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as tensions rise in Washington, particularly with the government shutdown continuing into its fourth week.

The House of Commons Clerk recently announced that from October 20 to 23 will be a “district service period,” during which no votes or hearings will take place. This strategy seems aimed at putting pressure on Democrats, especially since the Republican federal funding initiative is stalling in the Senate.

On September 19, House Republicans passed a federal funding plan known as the Continuing Resolution (CR). This plan aims to extend government spending for fiscal year 2025 by seven weeks.

The intention behind these actions is to provide congressional negotiators more breathing room to finalize a long-term spending agreement for fiscal year 2026. However, Democrats are expressing frustration at being sidelined from negotiations. They are threatening to veto any agreements that don’t include an extension of pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of December. Many believe that without some plan to extend these subsidies, millions could face higher health insurance costs.

Republican leaders maintain they are willing to discuss these issues later, just as long as they don’t include partisan policy riders in the CR. On Friday, Johnson told reporters he would notify members 48 hours in advance before they need to return to vote, reiterating a message he’s been sharing for weeks.

Interestingly, while House Republicans are largely unified in support of this strategy, some are beginning to show signs of discomfort with such a lengthy recess. Representatives like Jay Obanolte (R-Calif.) and Julie Fedorchak have raised concerns during private calls. More publicly, Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) has criticized the decision, stating, “It’s absolutely unacceptable. I think it’s just going to create more mistrust.” Representative Dave Valadao mentioned he was somewhat ambivalent but attributed the situation to Senate Democrats.

On the other side, Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), present on the floor when this district work period was announced, criticized Johnson for closing the chamber. He noted, “We have been without Congress here in the House for almost a month, even as we have important discussions about reopening the government and lowering health care costs for millions.”

As the shutdown appears likely to continue, the Senate is preparing for a vote next week on a bill aimed at compensating government workers, including active-duty military, impacted by the shutdown. When asked about the House’s potential action if the bill passes in the Senate, Johnson remarked, “If there’s a viable path forward, then yes, but I suspect the Democrats will block this bill again.”