Republican Shows Up In DC To Demand House Reconvene

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Huff Post

Oct 14, 2025, 04:45 PM EDT


WASHINGTON — Kevin Kiley came to work on Tuesday but there wasn’t much to do. Kiley is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, which hasn’t been open for business since last month as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) keeps lawmakers home during a government shutdown.

Kiley intended his presence as a message to Johnson that the House should be in session, something he said on social media last week. He stood on the House floor on Tuesday as another Republican banged the gavel to close out a “pro forma” session that lasted two minutes.

“God, I wanted to at least remember what the floor looked like,” Kiley told HuffPost afterward. “It’s been almost a month that we’ve been out of session. We’ve been out of session 71 out of 83 days.”

Kiley is one of a few voices of dissent among House Republicans against Johnson’s strategy of keeping the House shut down in order to pressure Senate Democrats into voting for a government funding bill that the House approved in September. Except for certain essential functions, federal agencies shut down earlier this month after Senate Democrats voted against the bill, saying it should include an extension of health insurance subsidies.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kevin-kiley-government-shutdown_n_68ee9935e4b0c41c21862962?oe

[multigraincracker]

1. They are on a paid(on time) vacation.

While others are working without pay.

[Tribetime]

2. Hey Kiley sign the petition maybe that would help end it

[FakeNoose]

3. Typically doesn't the House have a short session in the first half of October?

I'm too lazy to look it up, but it seems to me that the House shuts down in the last week of October and first week of November when they need to go home for campaigning. This happens in off-years too because they help other Party members get elected in their own states.

So they actually have a precedent for taking the end of October off. But this whole business of refusing to call a regular session just to avoid swearing in a newly-elected member, this is total bullshit. I'm hoping this threatened lawsuit from the Arizona AG gets Speaker Mike Johnson off his butt or there will be a revolt in his own Party.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. This isn't a Congressional election year

and they had their "vacation" ( "District Work Period" ) in August.

There is NOTHING stopping them from calling for FULL sessions for legislative business (versus "Pro Forma" sessions every 3 days), although it doesn't even seem their own Branch has had appropriations approved yet either.

[travelingthrulife]

5. This is how your Party rolls Kiley

Maybe stop being Republican if you want to actually do public work. Or has it cut you off from grifting opportunities?