House Democrats on Tuesday used what is typically among the dullest of congressional rituals to hammer Republicans for keeping the chamber out of session with the deadline to avert a government shutdown only hours away.
When the House of Representatives is away, the speaker typically dispatches a colleague every three days to march into the chamber, bang a gavel in front of hundreds of vacant chairs and walk out moments later. These meetings, known as “pro forma” sessions, feature next to no legislative business and attract little attention.
On Tuesday, Democrats, who lack the power to do much of anything in a chamber where the majority controls almost everything, used the moment to make a political statement.
When Republicans gaveled the House to order at noon, about 100 Democrats sat on their side of the chamber, some holding makeshift “missing persons” signs that had Speaker Mike Johnson’s face on it. Across the aisle stood just one Republican in a sea of empty seats: Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio.
Though the House was originally scheduled to be in session this week, Mr. Johnson canceled votes earlier this month after Republicans in his chamber pushed through a stopgap spending measure to fund the government through Nov. 21. That was a bid to pressure Senate Democrats into accepting the Republicans’ proposal, but they refused, blocking the measure in that chamber, where the bill is currently stalled, awaiting the 60 votes it would need to move.
Dozens of House Democrats returned to Washington this week anyway, trying to display party unity and accuse Republicans of failing to negotiate as a shutdown draws near. Tuesday’s show of attendance at the pro forma session was meant to dramatize that argument.
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