House Republican leaders are sending members home Wednesday until after the November election, condensing their pre-midterm schedule in Washington for the second time.
The move cancels votes on Thursday and follows a previous decision to nix plans for members to work in Washington the final two weeks of September.
The House was already scheduled to be in recess through October so members could campaign for the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
While adding one more day to that extended recess appears insignificant, the move allows Republican leaders to avoid — at least for now — an attempt from Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, to force a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Mr. Massie on Tuesday introduced multiple articles of impeachment against Mr. Hegseth, charging him with waging unlawful wars against Iran and Yemen, ignoring laws designed to “minimize civilian casualties,” illegally kidnapping the leader of Venezuela, unlawfully killing suspected drug traffickers and suppressing the free speech of Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly.
He brought the measure to the floor Tuesday as a question of privilege of the House, which any member can do on impeachment resolutions or other disciplinary measures to force a vote.
When a question of privilege is raised, House leaders have two legislative days to consider the measure. By adjourning the chamber on Wednesday instead of Thursday, GOP leaders are punting the second legislative day for taking up the Hegseth impeachment measure to Nov. 9, the day the House is next scheduled to be in session and voting.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, demurred when asked if delaying the Hegseth impeachment vote until after the election motivated the schedule change.
“It’s a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention,” he said.
The speaker said Republicans will move to table the impeachment resolution — a procedural vote to kill it — when they return in November.
“Secretary Hegseth has done an extraordinary job at the Department of War,” he said. “We’re in the middle of international conflicts right now. We should not be playing games with national security, and I think that’s how the members see it.”
Mr. Johnson said the House does not need the additional voting time in September because it has already been productive in passing more than 900 bills, including 70 this week.
“About 700 of those bills are sitting in the Senate, awaiting action,” he said. “So it’s time for our members to go home to their districts and make their case to the American people, to go and explain all the great things we’ve done.”
Democrats, who had been pushing for Mr. Johnson to add back work weeks in Washington so the House could address growing concerns about AI, panned the early adjournment.
“Republicans are running home instead of working for the American people. It’s pathetic,” said Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California.
• John T. Seward and George Caldwell contributed to this story.
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