Johnson Cancels Thursday Votes; House Leaves Until After Nov. 3 Midterms

Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Wednesday that Thursday’s scheduled House votes are canceled and that members will leave Washington after Wednesday night’s business, beginning a recess that lasts until the week of Nov. 9—after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The chamber had already dropped the weeks of Sept. 21 and Sept. 28. Combined with the early exit, the House will be out more than six weeks. “The House has done its work,” Johnson said at the Capitol. “It’s time for our members to go home to their districts and make their case to the American people.” Fox’s Bill Melugin first reported the speaker’s remarks that votes would end Wednesday and that the House would recess until after the midterms. Majority Whip Tom Emmer confirmed Wednesday afternoon as the last voting window. All 435 House seats are on the ballot Nov. 3. The Senate is expected to remain in session for about three more weeks.

The canceled Thursday session would have been the last floor day before Election Day. Johnson said the House has passed hundreds of bills—he cited a figure near 600, including the SAVE America Act requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote—that are waiting in the Senate. He said he would call the House back if the Senate advances a conservative tax-and-spending package House Republicans want. A continuing resolution already funds the government through Dec. 11. After Nov. 9, both chambers would have roughly five weeks before that date to finish fiscal 2027 appropriations or pass another short-term bill. Johnson also said canceling Thursday was not about a privileged impeachment resolution Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., filed Tuesday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Privileged resolutions must be considered within two legislative days, which would have forced a vote no later than Thursday. Johnson called Massie’s filing “a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention,” said it “will immediately be tabled” when the House returns, and said Hegseth “has done an extraordinary job at the Department of War.” Massie posted that leadership canceled Thursday “to avoid the vote” on impeaching Hegseth and that the early departure would make it harder to reach 218 signatures on a discharge petition to force a vote on remaining Jeffrey Epstein files. He said the petition had more than 190 signatures. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., separately called the canceled Thursday “unacceptable,” writing that the House has dropped at least 63 scheduled voting days this Congress, including nine this month.

More than 100 House Democrats signed a letter asking Johnson to scrap the recess and stay in session to write artificial-intelligence safeguards. Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., and others argued Congress cannot treat AI as a vacation issue. Johnson did not add an AI package to the shortened week. Wednesday evening’s remaining votes were expected to include a Russia-sanctions measure the White House has treated as a priority. Leadership had already planned to table any Hegseth impeachment rather than hold a merits vote before November. Johnson said members need to campaign. Democrats said the calendar leaves AI, the Hegseth articles, and other unfinished items until after voters decide control of the House. The next scheduled House voting week is Nov. 9.