Here Are All The Times Congressional Lawmakers Gave Themselves A Vacation In Past Year
So far, the 119th Congress has taken about 16 breaks from Capitol Hill, despite a record shutdown and war with Iran.
The House and Senate have maintained recess during historically difficult times, including when the longest government shutdown in history took place in the fall of 2025, which lasted 43 days. Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson extended district work periods and the House did not return for regular votes, while the Senate took short breaks that extended the shutdown.
Throughout the shutdown, the Senate reconvened to vote during the first week of October and continued its meetings into November to negotiate pending resolutions. The House remained mostly out of session, prompting Florida Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz to introduce a resolution on Oct. 10, 2025, calling on the chamber to reconvene and hold recorded quorum calls during a shutdown. (RELATED: Lawmakers can’t be bothered to work an extra day as unfinished business piles up)
The 117th and 118th Congresses had between 30 and 38 recess and work periods in total, according to Ballotpedia.
Both chambers took their scheduled mid-February vacation, February 14-22, when the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began. Congress also took a two-week Easter recess, scheduled for March 30 to April 12, while the shutdown continued, leading to severe flight delays, a shortage of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel, and long wait times at airports.
The House and Senate also left for their current recess on Thursday and rejected President Donald Trump’s request to have a $72 billion reconciliation plan on his desk to fund immigration controls by June 1. Senate Republicans have not resolved their battle over a $1.776 billion fund that would provide payments to those who claim the justice system was “a weapon” against them.
2026 is fast approaching. pic.twitter.com/yBRCDbvzu4
– Ryan Wrasse (@RWrasse) November 19, 2025
The fund also faced opposition from the House. Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York introduced legislation Thursday banning the use of taxpayer money for the fund. The two chambers will not address the issue until they return from the Memorial Day holiday on June 2.
Some of the lawmakers’ absences from the Capitol included district work periods, which are a scheduled period of time when a lawmaker leaves Washington, D.C., to work from their home state or district. These periods of time are often dedicated to local constituent services. Sometimes lawmakers use this time to campaign either for themselves or for other candidates.
The House abruptly delayed a vote on the war powers resolution that would limit Trump’s ability to continue the war in Iran until after the Memorial Day holiday. Four Senate Republicans, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, voted to advance the resolution to a procedural vote in their chamber on Tuesday, although a floor vote will also wait until after they return.
Johnson abruptly adjourned the House in early July for its summer recess, part of a strategic move to sideline a discharge petition aimed at forcing a floor vote on the release of records surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. He defended the decision by accusing Democrats of “political games.”
“We are done being lectured on transparency,” Johnson said at the time.
In December, lawmakers began their Christmas break a day early, even though they still had several unresolved issues on the table. Congress had yet to codify several of Trump’s executive orders and withdrew a day before the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) deadline to release the Epstein files.
The Senate has yet to pass Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE), a Republican-led bill that would require voters to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship before voting in federal elections. The bill, introduced by Texas Rep. Chip Roy, passed the House on April 10.
Johnson said the House has also begun brainstorming ideas for a third reconciliation package, saying on the Salem Radio Network’s “This Week on Capitol Hill” that it would address the cost of living and include some anti-fraud measures.
The Senate took a full week off during the third week of January. The House then took its own recess the following week, in accordance with the House’s 2026 calendar.
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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