Rep. Summer Lee Joins Colleagues on Resolution to Reconvene House, End Republican Shutdown
PITTSBURGH, PA – NOVEMBER 7, 2025 — Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) joined Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) introduced a resolution to change House rules that have allowed Speaker Johnson and Republican leadership to indefinitely recess the House during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The Reopening the People’s House Resolution would allow a majority of Members of Congress to end a district work period. Currently, the Speaker of the House has unilateral authority to keep the House in recess.
“We are in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and House Republicans have shamelessly walked away from doing their jobs. It’s long past time for Republicans to come back to the negotiating table to avert a healthcare crisis and alleviate the pain from millions across the country. Folks are hurting. SNAP benefits have been withheld by the Trump administration, federal workers are going without paychecks, and flights have been cancelled because of public safety risks—to say the least,” said Rep. Lee. “Our country needs the government to do better. We can and must be responsive to their calls.”
“It’s time for Republicans to end their vacation and reopen the People’s House. While more than one million workers go without pay during this shutdown, the House hasn’t even voted since September 19th,” said Rep. Larson. “It is beyond parody to watch Members of Congress get paid to take a vacation while they demand Capitol Police, Air Traffic Controllers, and doctors and nurses to show up to work and not receive a paycheck. Democrats have been in Washington, ready to reopen government and end Donald Trump’s health care crisis. Even Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene want to act, but Speaker Johnson is wielding his gavel to prevent us from doing our jobs. The People’s House is supposed to be governed of, by, and for the people, not one man acting at the behest of a president. That is why, today, I am leading my colleagues with a new plan – to change the rules so we can end this shutdown vacation and address the people’s business.”
In addition to Rep. Lee, the “Reopening the People’s House Resolution,” led by Rep. Larson, is cosponsored by Reps. Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Al Green (TX-09), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Ed Case (HI-01), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), and Dina Titus (NV-01).
Full text of the resolution is available HERE.
Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, she has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.4 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs. Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 3,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.