Mike Johnson abruptly adjourns House ahead of midterms, blocks key votes
The move came a day after Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski met lawmakers and business representatives in Washington.
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson abruptly adjourned the chamber and sent members home shortly before the midterm elections, a move that halted several scheduled and pending votes.
The decision came one day after Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski visited Washington and held meetings with members of Congress and representatives of the economic sector.
Impact on high-profile measures
Because the House was dismissed early, lawmakers will not be able to vote on the effort to remove Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, nor on the proposed legislation addressing artificial intelligence. Those measures were among the most prominent items on the House calendar.
Democratic congressmen responded with sharp criticism after the adjournment, saying the move prevented urgent congressional scrutiny and debate on both personnel oversight and emerging technology policy.
The abrupt break leaves Congress with a compressed timetable to consider outstanding business before members return for the post-election session, and tensions between the parties are likely to intensify as campaigns enter their final days.
Photo: AP)
