A group of 10 Republican Senators is asking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to cancel the chamber’s planned August recess if significant progress is not made on the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, the federal budget and tax reform.
“Our current Senate calendar shows only 33 potential working days remaining before the end of the fiscal year,” reads the letter, which was sent to McConnell on Friday.
“This does not appear to give us enough time to adequately address the issues that demand immediate attention. Therefore, we respectfully request that you consider truncating, if not completely foregoing, the scheduled August state work period, allowing us more time to complete our work.”
The senators identified five legislative tasks which they say “must be accomplished” this year: “fixing health care, funding the government, dealing with the debt ceiling, passing a budget resolution, and improving our tax code.”
Both houses of Congress go on break from July 31 to Sept. 5, leaving just over three weeks to pass a budget resolution before the end of the fiscal year. The Senate is also weighing a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. McConnell pushed back a vote on the bill until after 4th of July weekend due to a lack of support among Senate Republicans.
Georgia Sen. David Perdue, Montana Sen. Steve Daines, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, Alabama Sen. Luther Strange, Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis all signed the letter to McConnell.
The House Freedom Caucus made a similar request to House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier this month to cancel the August vacation if progress is not made on tax reform and other legislation.