House Democratic leadership is encouraging lawmakers to attend Tuesday’s informal pro forma session, just hours before the federal government is expected to shut down, NOTUS has learned.
It’s unusual for many members of Congress to show up to a pro forma, a standard recess procedure where no roll call votes are conducted that usually lasts only a few minutes. It’s one of the ways in which House Democrats are going above and beyond to protest Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to keep the House out of session right before a looming shutdown.
In a closed-door caucus meeting Monday night, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries advocated for lawmakers to attend the session in an effort to show that Democrats are in town, one House Democrat told NOTUS. Three others confirmed that leadership is encouraging it.
“I think everybody’s going to try and go,” another House Democrat said. “‘We’re here and (Republicans) are not’ is the key point.”
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Democrats are also taking the opportunity to pressure Johnson and House GOP leaders to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona last Tuesday to succeed her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva.
One senior House Democrat told NOTUS that House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise have been chatting about it, “but it’s pretty clear he doesn’t want her to get sworn in.”
“There’s a lot going on,” Rep. Julie Johnson said. “We want to support her and encourage them to swear her in. We want the American people to know that Democrats are here ready to vote on responsible legislation that protects health care for Americans across the country. We’re here in D.C., and we’re not playing golf in lands unknown.”
During Monday’s caucus meeting, leaders told Democrats that two House Republicans who won special elections in April, Reps. Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine, were sworn in as part of pro forma sessions less than 24 hours after they won their respective races.
A spokesperson for Johnson told NOTUS in a statement that the House has “received the appropriate paperwork from the state.”
“The Speaker’s Office intends to schedule a swearing in for the Representative-elect when the House returns to session,” they said.
Grijalva, who attended the Monday meeting, told NOTUS that she had not heard from Johnson on her swearing-in. But she added that she plans to be in the Capitol during Tuesday’s pro forma session.
“My hope is that all of the Democrats are there,” Grijalva said.
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