# Congress Returns From Vacation Shocked to Discover They Still Have Jobs Requiring Actual Work
Members of Congress returned to Washington this week after a monthlong August recess, expressing surprise and mild disappointment upon learning that their government positions apparently involve more than just fundraising and social media posting.
The returning lawmakers face a looming September 30 government shutdown deadline, which several members initially assumed was just another vague threat that would resolve itself through the mysterious process they call “someone else figuring it out.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly spent the first day back explaining to colleagues that “passing a budget” is not the same as “posting about fiscal responsibility on Twitter,” and that actual legislation requires more than 280 characters and cannot include hashtags.
The congressional schedule shows lawmakers have just 14 legislative days to pass approximately $1.8 trillion in discretionary spending, a timeline that has prompted several representatives to ask whether the math could be simplified by switching to billion-dollar bills to make the numbers smaller and less confusing.
The budget negotiations have been complicated by what Johnson describes as “the usual partisan differences over whether we should fund things or just complain about them not being funded.” Republicans have reportedly requested a budget category specifically for “investigating why the budget is so complicated.”
Adding to the complexity is the ongoing controversy over Jeffrey Epstein investigation files, which Democrats continue to demand be released despite Republican arguments that August was “far too relaxing” to be interrupted by discussions of government accountability.
The Epstein files dispute reportedly began when Democratic lawmakers suggested that government transparency might be a good thing, prompting Johnson to dismiss the House early rather than engage with what he characterized as “unreasonable expectations about democracy.”
Several returning senators expressed confusion about why they can’t just continue working remotely from their home districts, with one unnamed member asking whether congressional sessions could be conducted via Zoom like “normal jobs that don’t require showing up places.”
The Trump administration’s expanded enforcement operations have created additional budget pressures, as officials discovered that dramatically increasing deportations requires actual funding rather than just executive orders and press conferences about being tough on immigration.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly explained to lawmakers that government spending involves “real money” rather than the “conceptual wealth” that many politicians discuss during campaign season, leading to what sources describe as “awkward silence” during budget briefings.
The compressed legislative calendar has prompted several members to suggest that governing might be easier if they just extended the August recess through December, allowing them to focus on what they describe as their “core competencies” of fundraising and media appearances.
Budget analysts warn that failure to reach agreement could trigger a government shutdown, which would affect federal services and potentially disrupt the administration’s enforcement priorities, though several lawmakers reportedly asked whether a shutdown would excuse them from having to vote on things.
Congressional leadership from both parties have expressed commitment to avoiding a shutdown while simultaneously scheduling numerous fundraising events during the limited days available for actual legislating, leading observers to question whether the commitment extends beyond press releases.
The returning lawmakers also face pressure to address various domestic and international crises that accumulated during their month-long vacation, with several members reportedly requesting briefings on “what happened while we were gone” and expressing surprise that world events continued during their absence.
House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole announced plans to streamline the legislative process by reducing committee hearings to “essential soundbites only” and allowing members to vote on legislation based on brief summaries rather than reading actual bills, which sources describe as “too time-consuming for busy schedules.”
Democratic leaders have indicated they will continue pressing for transparency in government operations, while Republican leaders have suggested that transparency should be limited to “things that make us look good” and that accountability should be “someone else’s job.”
The budget negotiations are expected to continue through September, with both parties expressing confidence that they can reach agreement as long as the other side abandons all of their priorities and agrees to everything the first side wants.
Source: Congressional schedules, budget office projections, Hill sources