In a move that underscored Republican anxieties about the upcoming midterms, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) abruptly canceled the House's final day of legislative business on Wednesday, sending members home early to campaign. The Senate, by contrast, will remain in session through next week. Both chambers are slated to reconvene in the second week of November.
The early exit was widely seen as a response to polling that shows Republicans at risk of losing control of the House. With voters souring on the party's handling of everything from affordability to the Iran war, GOP leaders appear to have concluded that more time on the campaign trail is worth more than more time in Washington. As one veteran congressional observer put it, "when in doubt, punt and run for home."
The truncated week was marked by a series of contentious votes. On Wednesday, the House agreed to Senate amendments to the Graham Russian and Iran Sanctions Act by a 262-159 vote, sending the measure to the president, who signed it Friday. Earlier in the week, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) forced a vote on a resolution to impeach President Donald Trump, which the House tabled 232-147, with Republicans uniformly opposing it and 46 Democrats voting present. Green, a vocal Trump critic who has been escorted off the floor in past years, lost his primary runoff earlier this year due to redistricting.
Also on Tuesday, the House passed a war powers resolution introduced by Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) directing the withdrawal of U.S. armed forces from Iran, with an exemption for bases in the region. The measure passed 220-204, with seven Republicans in favor—the largest GOP defection yet on such a measure. That same day, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which the Speaker informally dismissed as a "stunt." Under House rules, the chamber had two legislative days to consider it, forcing Johnson to choose between a lengthy reading and an early adjournment. He chose the latter, convening the House Thursday morning only to gavel it out two minutes later.
House Democrats were quick to seize on the retreat, holding a press conference Thursday to accuse Republicans of absenteeism and of presiding over a "do-nothing Congress" while Americans face rising prices and an unpopular war. They cited 63 canceled voting days and three government shutdowns totaling a record 100 days. Republicans countered by pointing to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and immigration enforcement efforts. But the do-nothing charge cuts both ways, as public disapproval of Congress remains high and both parties share blame for policy failures.
The early adjournment also reflects a broader GOP strategy of shifting focus to Iran policy and other issues that might energize the base, even as polls show the country on the wrong track. Democrats, meanwhile, are pressing their case that Republicans have failed to govern, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries targeting Trump's Iran policy as a key campaign theme.
In the end, the House's hasty exit may do little to change the electoral calculus. As one analyst noted, it's hard for a minority party to convince voters of its governing competence when it seems stuck in "a cloud of diaphanous aspirations." For now, the race for control of Congress is on, with both parties scrambling to define the other before voters head to the polls.
