Democrats plan to flood a brief informal session of the U.S. House on Tuesday in an effort to needle Republicans on the impending government shutdown, four sources familiar with the matter told Axios.
Why it matters: These "pro forma" sessions are typically procedural and sparsely attended, and they rarely last more than a few minutes. Democrats' plan, first reported by NOTUS, would turn this one into a media spectacle.
- "We are being asked to go to the House floor at noon," one House Democrat confirmed to Axios.
- The aim is to highlight that Democrats are on Capitol Hill while Republicans are mostly out of town, according to a senior House Democrat: "We are here en masse, and they are not. We care. They don't."
Zoom in: During the pro forma session, Democrats plan to seek unanimous consent on their proposed bill to both fund the government and expand health care access, according to two sources.
- It is all but certain to be blocked, however, and some Democrats expect Republicans to try to quickly adjourn the session before they can even make their motion.
- "You're going to see that gavel go faster than the speed of light," the senior House Democrat predicted.
The intrigue: Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) aims to be part of the proceedings, but her status as a not-yet member of Congress makes things tricky.
- "We've been debating this," the senior House Democrat said, telling Axios that leadership is not certain that Republicans "will even let her on the floor."
- "She'll probably be in the gallery," the senior lawmaker added.
- Grijalva's delayed swearing in has been the subject of an intense partisan messaging battle, with Democrats accusing Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) of dragging his feet to block a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
The other side: A spokesperson for Johnson told Axios on Monday that the speaker plans to swear Grijalva in when the House returns to session next week.
- Asked about Democrats' plans for the pro forma, the Johnson spokesperson referred to that previous statement.
