Until this Congressional term, I was pretty damn sure I knew the definition of one day.
In two of the most ridiculous rules changes I have ever heard of, Congressional Republicans have changed the definition of one day – specifically so they can delay, possibly indefinitely, weighing in on the policies of President Donald Trump.
Today I want to bring these strange redefinitions to light.
In March, Congress passed the Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded. As part of the resolution, Congress also added a strange measure, specifically redefining one day, for the specific purpose of the National Emergencies Act, that their entire first session would be considered one single day.
This week, Congress again took the unusual action of redefining one day. According to the change in house rules, from today until the end of September 2025, it shall not be considered one day for Resolutions of Inquiry.
Why does any of this matter?
Officially, for the President to implement tariffs, he is required to designate a national emergency. Congress has the authority to end that resolution and any vote to do so must be voted on within 15 days. Declaring a day to be THE ENTIRE LEGISLATIVE SESSION allows Congress to ignore the resolution and not bring it up for vote.
Resolutions of Inquiry in the House of Representatives mean that various segments of the Executive Branch are required to provide information to the House within a specific number of days. Redefining the rules of the House to declare the entire timeframe from now until October 2025 is technically one day is yet another mechanism by Congress to avoid accountability from Congress.
This is just another example a feckless Republican Congress choosing to abdicate their responsibility to serve as a check on the President.
Sources:
House Republicans move to block vote on Trump’s tariffs – Live Updates – POLITICO
House Republicans block Democrats from forcing votes on Signal, Elon Musk
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