America braces for delayed election results that could keep Senate control a mystery for days, weeks and months
The Senate is on track for a dramatic late night: the upper chamber is due in session for an undetermined period on Saturday, August 3.
Despite promises to the contrary, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not likely to be able to stop the clock on a simple procedural motion.
The chamber could come to a halt for hours as the Senate rules committee debates and votes on a nomination to the Supreme Court, an impeachment trial balloon, or other matters.
If the clock runs out before, say, noon on Saturday, the results of an election for U.S. Senate in Montana, Missouri, Tennessee and the other states won last week could become a closely watched mystery for days, weeks and months.
How long could it take for the Senate to come back into session? It could take a week or more, since the Senate is in session from Monday through Thursday and Friday, August 4 through Tuesday, August 7. Some Senate members are on vacation. Others are in town covering their districts.
The clock could run out in the Senate chamber as it was set to, or the Senate could return to session as it is scheduled to and then return to a normal schedule on Monday. But after a weekend spent debating nomination nominations and the most historic and consequential day for the Senate, the clock is on course to expire on Saturday, which means the Senate will return to normal from Monday to Friday of the same week but without the chamber’s normal Saturday schedule. If the vote on the nomination to the Supreme Court is a procedural vote or a vote on a nomination to a high court or the U.S. Court of Appeals, the Senate will return to voting on a resolution on Sunday. If the impeachment trial balloon is the Senate voting on a trial balloon for impeachment of President Trump, the Senate will return to voting on Monday. The Senate’s normal business schedule continues Wednesday through Thursday.
The Senate was last in session on Friday, August 3, during the first weekend of the August recess.
The Senate was scheduled to return to session on Tuesday, August 7, with the Senate in Washington through Thursday, August 11.
