Congress Away on District Recess; Chambers Hold Brief Pro Forma Sessions Ahead of July 13 Return
Both the House and Senate spent the past two days in recess, gaveling in only for seconds-long pro forma sessions with no votes or hearings, and are set to return to legislative business on Monday, July 13.
Congress conducted essentially no business over the past 24 to 48 hours. Both chambers are in a district work period, the recess when lawmakers typically return home to their states and districts. To satisfy a constitutional requirement that neither chamber adjourn for more than three days without the other's consent, each held short "pro forma" sessions, formal meetings where a single member gavels in and immediately gavels out.
On Thursday, July 9, the record shows how brief these sessions were. The House met at 10:30 a.m. and adjourned at 10:32 a.m. The Senate met at 9:01:59 a.m. in pro forma session and adjourned at 9:02:26 a.m. No committee meetings or hearings were scheduled in either chamber. A modest amount of paperwork moved: 11 public bills, H.R. 9591–9601, and two resolutions, H. Res. 1419–1420, were introduced. Among committee reports filed was one on a proposed constitutional amendment to fix the size of the Supreme Court at nine justices, a measure that would face a long path requiring two-thirds support in both chambers and ratification by three-quarters of the states.
According to GovTrack, the House and Senate return on July 13. The Senate's plans are already set on the executive calendar. After morning business Monday, senators are due to resume consideration of the nomination of Matthew A. Schwartz to be a Second Circuit judge, with a vote also expected on Arthur Roberts Jones, of Texas, to be a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas at 5:30 p.m.
The most recent substantive legislative action came in the final week before the break, ending July 2. The House cleared several bipartisan bills. The House passed H.R. 7128, the TRIA Program Reauthorization Act of 2026, by a vote of 373-15. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., extends the federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, a backstop covering some insurer losses from terrorist attacks.
The House also passed a contested online-safety bill. The Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, or KIDS Act, passed 267-117 under suspension of the rules, setting the stage for continued wrangling as Congress seeks to address concerns raised by parent and free speech groups. Sponsored by Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., the bill would require online platforms to adopt policies aimed at shielding minors from certain harms. Its future is uncertain in the Senate, where senators who back the "Kids Online Safety Act" want a tougher "duty of care" standard, and critics say the House bill is weakened without that language.
Two other floor actions stood out. The House unanimously passed, 420-0, H. Res. 1399, directing the Committee on Ethics to preserve and publicly release records relating to monetary settlements involving acts of sexual harassment. Sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., the resolution drew a quick response: On July 2, the Committee on Ethics published a statement saying they don't have this information and therefore cannot release it. Separately, the House rejected H. Con. Res. 108, sponsored by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., which would have required the removal of U.S. soldiers from hostilities in Lebanon, by a vote of 189 to 235 on June 30.
Republican leadership priorities, meanwhile, stalled. According to GovTrack, four GOP-backed measures, including a national security appropriations bill and the National Defense Authorization Act, were held up after the rule to govern debate on the Republican priority bills came to the floor and was voted down, taking the other bills with it , amid an internal dispute over attaching the SAVE Act.
Highlights: - The House met July 9 for two minutes and the Senate for less than a minute, with - no yea-and-nay votes, no recorded votes, no quorum calls, and no hearings held - . - Committee reports filed July 9 included - H.J. Res. 1, proposing an amendment to the Constitution to require that the Supreme Court be composed of nine justices (H. Rept. 119–732) - . - The Senate is scheduled to resume July 13 with judicial confirmations, including - the nomination of Matthew A. Schwartz, of New York, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit - .