AXIOS (Stef W. Kight) - Senate crushes House on congressional work days
Source: Ballotpedia, Congressional Record; Chart: Stef Kight/Axios The Senate is well on its way to claiming the congressional attendance trophy this year, spending 32 more weekdays in session so far than the House. Why it matters: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have been torched by members for all the time off — not to mention Democrats, who taunt them for their truancy. - The Senate left town late Wednesday — two weeks after its House counterparts — putting both chambers out of town until after the Nov. 3 midterms. - "I suppose I left the House two years too soon," Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) told Axios, joking about how many fewer days the House has worked compared to the Senate…
What arguments has House Speaker Mike Johnson made regarding the productivity of the House?
Speaker Mike Johnson stated that the House has been the second most productive in terms of legislation in the history of the institution since 1789, noting that the House had passed more than 900 pieces of legislation and approximately 700 were awaiting Senate action.
Q&A ID b0766d79-569c-4f94-965d-1fc5a78bd9a9
How does the per capita legislative productivity compare between senators and House members?
The Senate was more productive per capita, with 22 pieces of legislation per senator compared to nine per House member.
Q&A ID ae51330b-a322-4675-923b-eb55c51f0769
What are the legislative productivity statistics for the House and Senate regarding bills passed between January 3 and the end of August?
The House passed 380 measures compared to 269 by the Senate, but the Senate held more "yea" or "nay" votes, with 231 compared to the House's 216. Additionally, the Senate passed 20 bills sent by the House, while the House passed 21 bills sent by the Senate.
Q&A ID 93bc247a-8cc5-49c1-9beb-ba9c457937cf
How do the total hours spent in session compare between the Senate and the House as of September 14?
According to data in the Congressional Record, the Senate has spent nearly 664 hours in session, whereas the House has spent approximately 378 hours in session.
Q&A ID 5b6aafc8-8a5d-49b8-a5f7-dd2dd2a979f1