House Republicans have literally spent half the year not working

The U.S. House of Representatives has been in session just 43 days this year—less than half the year so far and 20 fewer days than the average American full-time worker has logged to date. What’s more, the House is scheduled to work just 81 more days for the rest of the year. 

That’s right: They’re only going to be on the House floor for just 124. If you’re counting, that’s 106 fewer days than the rest of us will be spending on the job between now and the end of December.

That’s a generous accounting of their session days, because it includes pro forma sessions, those days when they gavel the House in and right back out again, usually during a recess. It also gives them the benefit of the doubt on what constitutes a legislative day, because two days of their usual work week are at best half days, with the first day of every work week generally not starting until late afternoon and the last day usually ending early afternoon.