Rollcall: Senate to Take Weeklong Break Without Adjourning

Senate to Take Weeklong Break Without Adjourning

By Steven T. Dennis
Roll Call Staff

May 26, 2011, 6:35 p.m.
Updated: 7:37 p.m.

The Senate will stay in pro forma session next week after failing to agree Thursday to adjourn for its scheduled weeklong Memorial Day recess.

Senate Budget ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) threatened this week to block any unanimous consent request to adjourn because Senate Democrats had not offered a budget resolution for a floor vote. Other Republican Senators were also fighting adjournment to prevent President Barack Obama from making recess appointments.

Sen. Jim DeMint, who is part of the GOP movement to block recess appointments, applauded the decision not to vote to adjourn.

“President Obama has been packing federal agencies with left-wing ideologues, but thankfully he won’t be able to for at least the next week,” the South Carolina Republican said in a statement. “The House will not be sending an adjournment resolution to the Senate, we will remain in pro forma session, and no controversial nominees will be allowed to circumvent the confirmation process during the break.”

The Senate's next vote is scheduled for June 6.

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