Trump should put a stop to these things.
Congress is heading home earlier than expected, leaving Washington just as several politically sensitive battles involving President Donald Trump’s administration remain unresolved.
House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled votes that had been scheduled for Thursday, effectively beginning the House’s extended pre-election recess one day early. Members are now leaving Washington to campaign in their districts ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
The decision immediately drew criticism because lawmakers are departing with major disputes over the Iran war, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, congressional war powers, and the Jeffrey Epstein investigation still hanging over Capitol Hill.
House Leaves Washington Early
Johnson announced the schedule change Wednesday, sending House members home for more than six weeks before they are expected to return after the election.
The Speaker rejected suggestions that the shortened schedule was designed specifically to avoid controversial votes. However, the timing means several politically difficult issues will now remain unresolved until November.
That includes an impeachment effort launched by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky against Hegseth.
Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment Tuesday, accusing the defense secretary of exceeding his authority during the continuing military conflict with Iran and raising several other allegations.
Hegseth and the Trump administration dispute Massie’s accusations. Justice Department officials have defended the administration’s handling of the conflict, while the Pentagon has continued to support Hegseth.
Hegseth Impeachment Vote Delayed
Because Massie’s impeachment resolution received privileged status in the House, leadership would ordinarily have been forced to address it quickly.
Canceling Thursday’s votes means that confrontation is now expected to move into the post-election session.
Johnson has called Massie’s impeachment effort a publicity stunt and said Republicans intend to table it when lawmakers return. Massie, meanwhile, accused leadership of deliberately shutting down House business before members could vote.
The dispute highlights a broader disagreement inside the Republican Party over the limits of presidential war powers.
Just one day earlier, the House approved another resolution seeking to restrict Trump’s ability to continue military action against Iran without congressional authorization.
The measure passed 220-204, with seven Republicans joining Democrats in supporting it.
Iran War Divides Republicans
Massie has become one of the most outspoken Republican critics of the administration’s Iran policy.
He argues that prolonged military operations require authorization from Congress under the Constitution and federal war-powers law. Trump has argued that he possesses sufficient presidential authority to conduct the military campaign and has challenged congressional efforts to restrict him.
The disagreement has become increasingly important as the conflict continues and lawmakers prepare to face voters.
Some Republicans who previously supported the administration have also changed their positions.
Iowa Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, for example, recently backed the House resolution seeking congressional authorization for continued military operations. Nunn said sustained combat now requires approval from Congress.
Those defections demonstrate that the Iran debate is no longer divided entirely along party lines.
Epstein Fight Also Remains Unfinished
The early House departure also affects Massie’s effort involving records connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Massie has been working to collect enough signatures for a discharge petition, a procedural tool that can allow rank-and-file lawmakers to force legislation onto the House floor despite opposition from leadership.
The broader Epstein controversy continued Wednesday when the House unanimously agreed to hold billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply fully with subpoenas connected to the House Oversight Committee’s investigation.
The contempt referral was sent to the Justice Department, which will decide whether to pursue the matter further.
Congress Acts On Russia Sanctions Before Leaving
Lawmakers did complete some major business before beginning the extended recess.
The House approved a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia and expanding sanctions involving Iran.
The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act passed the House 262-159 after previously clearing the Senate in an 86-11 vote. The measure now goes to Trump.
The legislation targets Russian officials, banks, energy exports and other sources of revenue connected to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
It also gives the president additional authority to impose tariffs on major purchasers of Russian energy, although some lawmakers have raised concerns about giving the executive branch broad discretion over how those powers are used.
Washington’s Unfinished Business Piles Up
Congress is therefore heading into the final stretch of the midterm campaign with several major political fights unresolved.
Questions surrounding Hegseth’s impeachment, Trump’s Iran policy, congressional war powers and the Epstein investigation are likely to return when lawmakers reconvene after Election Day.
For voters, the early departure means many of those disputes will remain unanswered during the closing weeks of the campaign.
Republican leaders argue that the House has already accomplished substantial legislative work and that members now need to return to their districts. Critics counter that Congress is leaving Washington while some of its most consequential oversight battles remain unfinished.
Either way, Washington’s political battles are not disappearing.
They are simply being postponed until after Americans cast their ballots.