When the Senate Cancels Vacation Who Pays?

The taxpayers, silly!

The Senate comes back from its truncated August recess tomorrow to consider two judicial nominations this week. That’s right . . . two nominations.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to shorten the August recess doesn’t merely mean that Senators and staffers have to change or cancel vacation plans — it also means Capitol Hill police must operate at full force, keep every entrance to every Senate Office building open, and all Senate cafeterias must remain open and fully staffed.

Usually in August, only the main cafeterias in the House and Senate are open and even then it’s with limited staff and limited offerings. The Capitol Hill police also close all but the most used entrances. The lack of a recess thus increases spending on police, food, and other services in the Senate.

The lack of August recess also forces the Architect of the Capitol to delay reconstruction projects, thus increasing the time and cost of those projects. This is a further increase in costs to the taxpayer.

Read more about the costs of the Senate not going on vacation here.