Senators are scheduled to get almost all of October away from Washington ahead of the midterm elections next year, according to the 2026 calendar released Wednesday.
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Senators will return for the second session of this Congress on Jan. 5, kicking off a funding sprint to start the year with a week off toward the end of the month. The stopgap measure that reopened the government extends spending for most agencies through Jan. 30, setting that up as the first major agenda item of the new year.
Senators plan to be in session for the first week of August but then have the rest of the month off as well as the first part of September. The chamber will also hold recess weeks around July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
The House released its calendar for next year on Tuesday. The two chambers will be in alternating weeks leading up to the government funding deadline: the House is set to be on recess the week of Jan. 26, while the Senate set to be is out the week of Jan. 19.
Read More: House Releases 2026 Calendar With August, October Recesses
The annual schedule is subject to change depending on the agenda. The Senate’s 2025 calendar planned for the chamber to convene on Fridays, but it didn’t end up working most of them. The new Senate schedule also includes Friday work.
The House also took an unexpected lengthy recess, while the Senate added days, during the government shutdown this year.
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