Nancy Pelosi, Democratic minority leader of the House, called on her Republican colleague, Speaker John Boehner, to cancel the scheduled recess break for members next week.
"Instead of recessing yet again, the House should remain at work and pass critical legislation that will create jobs for the middle class that will actually be signed into law," she wrote in a letter to Boehner.
Pelosi tweeted her message later in the morning. No tweeted reply from @SpeakerBoehner yet.
This is a tactic deployed by politicians of both political parties, The New York Times points out. However, Congress does need to decide on a couple of key pieces of legislation before the month is out, as Pelosi notes, including the transportation bill and the future of student loans.
Full letter below:
June 6, 2012The Honorable John A. Boehner Speaker United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515Dear Mr. Speaker:As House Republicans prepare for yet another week of recess, hundreds of thousands of construction workers, businesses large and small, and others in the transportation industry, and millions of college students and their families are facing imminent hardship. In addition, statements from the House Republican leadership have raised alarm among middle-class families and American businesses concerning your commitment to acting on the middle-income tax cuts and the debt limit. In a story focusing on Majority Leader Cantor’s timetable for the remaining floor agenda, today’s Politico reports that “serious legislating is all but done until after the election.” Instead of recessing yet again, the House should remain at work and pass critical legislation that will create jobs for the middle class that will actually be signed into law. Republicans must not run out the clock on the economy. I call on you to cancel next week’s recess – our ninth week-long recess of the year – and instead commit the House to working round the clock to address the highway and student loan laws, and to extend the middle-income tax cut without further delay.Thank you for your consideration.best wishes, NANCY PELOSI Democratic Leader