Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will cancel its scheduled recess next week unless the partial government shutdown ends and the government is funded Tuesday afternoon.
“We certainly will not be in recess next week if the government is still shut down,” McConnell said to reporters on Capitol Hill. His comments come as the Senate has a recess planned beginning Friday until Jan. 28, despite the 25-day partial government shutdown. McConnell made it clear that senators would be required to work throughout their scheduled recess unless both parties can compromise and find a way to fund the government.
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media as Sen. John Barrasso, Sen. John Thune, Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Roy Blunt, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. Todd Young listen at the U.S. Capitol after the weekly Republican Senate policy luncheon. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Hours prior, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the House will cancel its scheduled recess next week, after news broke that a number of congressional Democrats spent the weekend on the beaches of Puerto Rico with dozens of lobbyists and corporate executives, despite the partial government shutdown. (RELATED: Steny Hoyer Says House Will Cancel Recess Unless Government Reopens)
Democrats also refused to participate in a lunch with President Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday. The meeting was planned to discuss a compromise to end the partial government shutdown. However, all Democrats who were invited refused to attend.
Trump has warned Democrats he might declare a national emergency if they cannot come to an agreement in the near future.
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