The U.S. Senate returned to Washington, D.C., today following a two-week recess, kicking off a four-week work period before lawmakers are scheduled to leave again for a five-week August break.
Coinciding with the return, U.S. Senator Rick Scott published an op-ed on Fox News, urging his colleagues to change their legislative calendar, stay in session, and vote daily to codify President Donald Trump’s agenda.
In the piece, Scott criticized the Senate’s current operational schedule, drawing attention to how few days lawmakers have spent voting in Washington this year.
“Did you know the U.S. Senate has only been in session 79 days (about 40% of the time) so far this year?” Scott wrote. “And so far, we haven’t passed anything to secure our elections, reduce inflation, cut spending or prevent another Democrat shutdown.”
Scott described a typical workweek in the chamber as brief, stating that the Senate routinely struggles to address major policy priorities before deadlines because lawmakers leave early.
“Right now, we take fewer than 10 votes a week,” Scott wrote. “We arrive late Monday to vote and leave as soon as possible on Thursday afternoon. The Senate is rarely in session on Fridays and almost never works over the weekend — even when pressing deadlines approach on issues critical to the safety, security and stability of the American people.”
With a major five-week recess looming in August and the upcoming November elections approaching, Scott argued that the remaining legislative calendar is insufficient to deliver on promises made to voters. He called on senators to remain at the Capitol until key bills are negotiated and passed.
“Time is short,” Scott wrote. “Getting all of this done before November would mean staying in Washington until we figure out how to deliver it. It would mean sitting down and working together to find solutions, instead of throwing up our hands and going home. We can’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and we can’t stop just because it’s hard.”
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