The U.S. Congress Works Only 138 Days a Year. This is a Problem That Must Be FIXED.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: carewemust

No. They don't deserve it.

But I'm not sure how to keep them from doing what they think their job is.

I'll write the Whitehouse. President Trump said this past Friday that he was "disappointed" with how slow Congress works with issues that are important to the American people.

I'll request that he ask one of his assistants to start an online petition for Americans to voice our dissatisfaction with snail-paced, vacation-loving Congress.

Edit to add: DONE. E-mail sent, via www.WhiteHouse.gov.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: [post=22183056]carewemust[/post


Why would you want them working more hours?
They screw things up plenty bad in the time they work now.

For once we agree. Instead of increasing days lets start cutting back.

@OP You are absolutely right. If we cut it down to about 1 week thats about as much national government as I want. Pay reduction too of course.

How can I get a job in your Congress???

a reply to: carewemust

The less congress works the better.

We need less laws, not more of them.

a reply to: carewemust

Aren't they in their state working when they're not in Washington?

I know Bobby Scott is.

originally posted by: ICycle2
How can I get a job in your Congress???

Well your avatar is a good start !!

a reply to: carewemust

They work more than that. Members of Congress typically spend between 4 and 6 hours per day, every day (including weekends) cold calling wealthy people and businesses, asking for donations to run their next campaign.

Money to stay in office is the goal, from the second they're elected. Actually meeting and discussing bills/voting takes a back seat to that.

The U.S. Congress Works Only 138 Days a Year. This is a Problem That Must Be FIXED.

How bout NO.

They manage to screw up epically only working a third of the year.

Imagine what it would be like working the entire year.

Just say NO.

Indeed.

They should only be working 4 weeks out of the year at 50k per year.

originally posted by: projectvxn
Indeed.

They should only be working 4 weeks out of the year at 50k per year.

They can't passed tax reform, infrastructure projects, Obamacare repeal, or anything else of significance working only 4 weeks a year.

Are you really that daft? Congress is IN SESSION that many days and that many hours. Any Congressman doesn't just sit around the bar the rest of those hours. They have offices and staff, committee meetings of all sorts, and the inevitable citizens who want their representative to fix whatever perceived ill they think they have. Your average congressman works seven days a week, 12 hours a day. Whether he does "good" work for constituents is another question altogether. But looking at session times and equating that to "work" is about the most simplistic thing you could come up with and is completely absurd.

May 13, 2017

It's interesting that the Trump Administration gets the most done when All or part of Congress is on vacation.

When the House/Senate was on a 10 day vacation last month, the "Mother of All Bombs" was dropped on Terrorists in Afghanistan.

The House has been on vacation for the past week. President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

Probably just coincidences, since the President accomplishes something significant pretty much every week.

May 13, 2017

Maybe they're SAFER staying in Washington D.C.!

""A Tenessee woman was charged with felony reckless endangerment after allegedly chasing Congressman David Kustoff, who voted in favor of the American Health Care Act, down a highway and placing him "in fear of being run off" the road.""

Full Story: www.thedailybeast.com... l

Monday, May 15, 2017

YEAH. Our House of Representatives have returned from the 2nd vacation in as many months. A full plate is scheduled for this week.

www.freedomworks.org...

June 3, 2017

Congress will be wrapping up another...Yes ANOTHER 1 week vacation this weekend. Over the next 11 weeks, 6 of them will be VACATION WEEKS!!

How the hell does America get any legislation passed, when they all bicker with each other so much. There's a growing discussion that with so much on their plate, President Trump should cancel Congress's FIVE WEEK vacation that kicks off on the 4th of July.

Story: townhall.com...

I have a better idea.. Congress should allow President Trump's Administration to write and implement laws during the 230 days that they're on vacation every year. We'd have Universal HealthCare and Tax-Reform before they get back to Washington from their 5 week "Working Vacation" as Congress calls it.

June 29, 2017

Departing Congressman JASON CHAFFETZ has put forth legislation that would give each Congressman a $2,500 @ month "stipend" housing allowance. WHY?

""Chaffetz also cited financial reasons as "partly" to blame for his decision to leave, and suggested that members of Congress be granted a $2,500 housing stipend, which was later mocked by panelists on CNN. 

"Faced with another 100 to 200 nights a year where my wife's by herself in Utah and I'm on a cot in Washington D.C. — as nice as the salary is, I can't afford to have two places and have a quality of life that I'd like to have," he said.

"You've got dozens and dozens of us that can't afford two mortgages, kids in college and other types of things.""

Source: www.newsmax.com...

IDEA: Since Congress is only in Washington 138 days a year, why do they need a residence there? A Motel 6 or Holiday Inn hotel room is all that's needed. Think they'd go for it?

July 1, 2017

GOP Senators Consider Cancelling or Shortening August Recess. Great Idea!

""A group of Republican senators are requesting August recess be canceled or shortened to give the party more time to make progress on its legislative agenda.

The group, which includes Georgia's David Perdue, Montana's Steve Daines, Iowa's Joni Ernst, Louisiana's John Kennedy, Oklahoma's James Lankford, Utah's Mike Lee, South Dakota's Mike Rounds, Alabama's Luther Strange, Alaska's Dan Sullivan and North Carolina's Thom Tillis wrote Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Friday about the need to focus on five priorities: fixing health care, funding the government, dealing with the debt ceiling, passing a budget resolution, and improving the tax code.

"Our current Senate calendar shows only 33 potential working days remaining before the end of the fiscal year," the senators wrote. ""

a reply to: carewemust


They LIE AGAIN TO AMERICA!

Because Congress had "so much work to do", only July 11th, Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate would not leave town until the THIRD WEEK OF AUGUST.
Source: nypost.com...

Today is Thursday August 3rd and they are giving America "the finger"...leaving town for a long Summer vacation.
Source: www.stripes.com...

So much to do, and less than 40 working days left on their calendar, after they return to work in September.

originally posted by: carewemust
Sunday April 30, 2017

We (the taxpayers) pay each Congressman/Congresswoman a minimum base salary, ranging from $174,000 to $223,000 a year. They are in Washington D.C. "working", only 138 days a year. Each week, Congress is "in session" for just 19 pitiful hours!

Source: www.thoughtco.com...

As of this writing, the United States faces an imminent Government Shut-Down. Major Tax-Reform needs to worked on, Urgent ObamaCare Repairs are Needed, and Kim Jong (North Korea) is threatening to use Nuclear weapons on a target of his choosing, any day now.

Congress put these important items on the back-burner, and galloped away on a 2 week Easter vacation, that ended just 6 days ago. Five days from now, on May 4th, the House will adjourn for ANOTHER WEEK of vacation!

Members of Congress constantly state that they work for, and serve at, the pleasure of American citizens. If that's the case, how can we demand that they work AT LEAST as many hours as we do on our jobs? What entity controls the work schedule of Congress? Who can we write?

This is ridiculous!

-CareWeMust

The reason why legislatures run a reduced year is simple.

The members should be spending a significant portion of their year back home with their electorate, listening and helping and learning.

Then, they come together in order to represent those viewpoints on a national stage.

The LAST thing that should happen is for them to spend more time in the capital, because that will encourage them to be even more disconnected from the people who voted for them.

Of course, this assumes that the politicians will actually use that time to go back home and listen to the electorate. Whether that actually happens is the real issue. Some do, and take pride in doing it properly. Others... well, others don't.