Posted by gurusmom on Fri, Aug 5, 2011, at 9:49 PM:
"Thonk!"
That's the sound of the gavel smacking down as the people's business got under way Friday in the United States Senate. It was also the sound, 59 seconds later, of the end of the workday. Mission accomplished!
That's all the time two senators took to approve an agreement ending a partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration, which had been left in limbo as Congress left town a few days ago.
To the rest of the world, Congress appears in recess. ...
But Congress is actually in pro forma session, so at least one member of each chamber must show up every three days, gavel the session in, and, barring any bits of minor business, bang the gavel a few moments later and head back home.
On Friday, the gavel was in the hands of Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland, while Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia, held the floor. Mr. Webb brought up the aviation bill, H.R. 2553, and asked for passage. Mr. Cardin, acting as president pro tempore, asked if anyone objected. (Insert sound of crickets here.) Seconds later, Mr. Cardin swung his tiny gavel and closed up shop.
Things were barely more complex over at the House, which conducted roughly eight minutes of business on Friday. There was the Pledge of Allegiance to be said -- largely by a gaggle of pages and a smattering of tourists in the gallery -- the reading of a resignation letter of David Wu, the Democrat of Oregon who left the House last week in a sex scandal, and a message from President Obama concerning the signing of the debt ceiling bill. Then, Representative Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican in his first term, banged the gavel and called it a day.
Would he rather have been at the beach? "Oh, no!" Mr. Harris said in an interview a few minutes before presiding. "Today was exciting. I got to sign the F.A.A. extension!"
Replies (7)
Makes me SO proud of our government!
-- Posted by Robert* on Fri, Aug 5, 2011, at 10:35 PM
Brevity in politics is rare indeed, but when witnessed it should be appreciated and applauded.
-- Posted by voyager on Sat, Aug 6, 2011, at 12:15 AM
Beats me! Can anything be accomplished with this?
What's the reason of all this?
-- Posted by Old John on Sat, Aug 6, 2011, at 12:36 AM
The President needs to call congress back to Washington they should have never went on a five week vacation not with the mess were in now especially with this most recent down grade of our bond rating with S&P.
-- Posted by swampeastmissouri on Sat, Aug 6, 2011, at 7:57 AM
Better than that, swampeast. Let's barricade the roads and keep them out of Washington. Private enterprise would find the cure if we could keep politicians from throwing monkey wrenches into the works!
-- Posted by Robert* on Sat, Aug 6, 2011, at 8:07 AM
OJ: The congress is in session pro forma to prevent Obama from making any recess appointments. Govt at work.
-- Posted by howdydoody on Sat, Aug 6, 2011, at 9:33 AM
Thanks howdy, I didn't know that.
-- Posted by Old John on Sat, Aug 6, 2011, at 11:22 AM
Menu
"Thonk!"
That's the sound of the gavel smacking down as the people's business got under way Friday in the United States Senate. It was also the sound, 59 seconds later, of the end of the workday. Mission accomplished!
That's all the time two senators took to approve an agreement ending a partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration, which had been left in limbo as Congress left town a few days ago.
To the rest of the world, Congress appears in recess. ...
But Congress is actually in pro forma session, so at least one member of each chamber must show up every three days, gavel the session in, and, barring any bits of minor business, bang the gavel a few moments later and head back home.
On Friday, the gavel was in the hands of Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland, while Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia, held the floor. Mr. Webb brought up the aviation bill, H.R. 2553, and asked for passage. Mr. Cardin, acting as president pro tempore, asked if anyone objected. (Insert sound of crickets here.) Seconds later, Mr. Cardin swung his tiny gavel and closed up shop.
Things were barely more complex over at the House, which conducted roughly eight minutes of business on Friday. There was the Pledge of Allegiance to be said -- largely by a gaggle of pages and a smattering of tourists in the gallery -- the reading of a resignation letter of David Wu, the Democrat of Oregon who left the House last week in a sex scandal, and a message from President Obama concerning the signing of the debt ceiling bill. Then, Representative Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican in his first term, banged the gavel and called it a day.
Would he rather have been at the beach? "Oh, no!" Mr. Harris said in an interview a few minutes before presiding. "Today was exciting. I got to sign the F.A.A. extension!"
Replies (7)