Ernst and Grassley Call for Senate to Cancel October Recess

(Washington, DC) Iowa’s U.S. Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling for the Senate to remain in session during the scheduled October state work period (also referred to as “recess”), to continue working on the critical issues facing the American people.

In the letter, the Iowa Senators cited the opportunity to live up to the promises Congress has made to the American people, including: “rolling back burdensome regulations, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, modernizing our infrastructure, and reforming our outdated and uncompetitive tax code.”

The Senators explained, “Much of this fall will be consumed by deliberation over the National Defense Authorization Act, disaster relief, the debt ceiling, appropriations, and reauthorizing programs that are set to expire at the end of this month. Furthermore, we have an unprecedented number of nominees that still need to be confirmed.

“This will leave little time for Congress to work on priorities such as tax reform and infrastructure modernization, both of which are essential to reinvigorating the American economy. Furthermore, it is also imperative that we pursue a path forward on health care as soon as possible and not give up on our promise to provide relief from this failing law.”

Following Senator Ernst’s call for a similar cancellation in the August state work period, the Senate saw a one week delay and made significant progress on nominations and other legislation.

Read the full text of the letter here and below.

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Majority Leader

United States Senate

S-230 Capitol Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Leader McConnell,

Last November, the American people sent a clear message to Washington that business as usual was no longer acceptable. Congress was finally given an opportunity to fulfill the promises we have made to the American people, such as rolling back burdensome regulations, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, modernizing our infrastructure, and reforming our outdated and uncompetitive tax code.

While we have made some progress during the first 9 months of this Congress—particularly with regard to reducing the regulatory burden on hardworking businesses and individuals—we have much work to accomplish and we respectfully request that the Senate work through the scheduled October state work period.

Much of this fall will be consumed by deliberation over the National Defense Authorization Act, disaster relief, the debt ceiling, appropriations, and reauthorizing programs that are set to expire at the end of this month. Furthermore, we have an unprecedented number of nominees that still need to be confirmed.

This will leave little time for Congress to work on priorities such as tax reform and infrastructure modernization, both of which are essential to reinvigorating the American economy. Furthermore, it is also imperative that we pursue a path forward on health care as soon as possible and not give up on our promise to provide relief from this failing law.

However challenging these issues may be, the American people rightfully expect us to follow through on the commitments that we have made, and we believe it is critical that we devote the necessary time to accomplishing these tasks.