Congress has adjourned for two weeks, which means photos of senators and representatives on vacation are making the rounds: from Disney World to Las Vegas. There’s nothing wrong with legislators unwinding and heading back to their districts, but Americans are reasonably annoyed to see their representatives at a casino or theme park amid a partial government shutdown.
President Donald Trump has played his own part complicating negotiations over funding the Department of Homeland Security, but he’s right that Congress should return to Washington until the shutdown is over.
On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “Congress needs to come back” from a two-week recess. On Tuesday, Trump told the New York Post he’s considering calling a special session to force lawmakers’ return. It would be the first time the maneuver has been used since 1948.
Leaving DHS unfunded in a heightened security environment triggered by the Iran war is unacceptable. So are ongoing disruptions to airport operations and travel, which hold up economic activity. While the White House issued an executive order to pay Transportation Security Administration agents starting this week, nearly 500 have already quit.
The White House said it’s using money from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pay agents, but it’s unclear how long they can rely on the dubious maneuver. The legislative branch abdicating its responsibility is nothing new, but leaving town amid the chaos is a bad look.
A shutdown that started over reasonable concerns about ICE oversight has devolved into a partisan battle over funding federal immigration agencies altogether. On Friday, senators left Washington for a two-week recess after passing a deal to fund DHS except for ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection.
House Republicans rejected the plan. Instead they passed their own bill to extend funding for all of DHS for two months. But the Senate declined the chance Monday to take up the House’s solution, meaning that the shutdown will continue at least until Congress is back from the break.
Recess from Congress doesn’t just mean trips to Disney. Especially during even years, time off includes campaigning and meeting with constituents. Yet members of Congress should consider how a protracted shutdown can worsen the cynicism of already disappointed voters.
The president is muddying matters by pushing Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-North Dakota) to nuke the filibuster, which could allow Republicans to pass the DHS funding without Democrats, along with other Trump priorities like the ill-conceived SAVE America Act.
Not everyone gets what they want in a negotiation. Republicans have at least offered up some oversight concessions, requiring most agents to wear body cameras and identification while limiting enforcement in sensitive areas like schools and hospitals. There’s room to negotiate on issues like ICE’s use of administrative warrants, or agents’ wearing of masks, if Democrats are actually willing to compromise. Either way, ICE will continue to receive funding thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
No one expects Congress to pass ambitious reforms of America’s imperfect immigration system. But it’s revealing that a bipartisan group on Capitol Hill doesn’t seem particularly concerned about being seen on vacation while basic services go unfunded.
The post Taking a vacation from the shutdown appeared first on Washington Post.
