Speaker Johnson avoids controversial votes with early House recess

Congress returned from its August recess but plans to leave Washington shortly before the November midterm elections. The House will convene for only four voting days, while the Senate is scheduled to meet for three additional weeks. Lawmakers are focusing on "messaging bills" rather than substantial legislation as they prepare for the elections, with little expectation of resolving key issues such as immigration and Social Security reform.

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over military actions in Iran that Congress never formally authorized. Massie argues this constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanors," aiming to force a vote before the House's recess. Despite Pentagon support for Hegseth, the resolution is unlikely to pass but could create political challenges for Republicans as they campaign.

Meanwhile, Congress faces numerous legislative priorities like military funding and AI regulation that are likely to be postponed until after the midterms due to time constraints.