Deserted scenes from Capitol Hill at recess
These days, the recess is both tradition and law, required by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, but representatives and senators have been finagling ways to avoid the heat and humidity much longer than that. Even the installation of the building’s first air conditioning system in 1929 wasn’t enough to make the Capitol bearable during the hottest days.
August means different things to different people
Tree-trimmers work from sun up to sun down, sweating it out before fall and winter force their business into hibernation. Teachers hurriedly ready their classrooms and lesson plans in preparation for a new crop of students. Almost everyone, it seems, has tired of summer and eagerly await fall’s cooler temperatures.
Unlike most places, though, just when the nation’s lawmakers, lobbyists and reporters wish under their breath for a break from the heat, Washington grants it in the form of the August recess.
While members of Congress go off to their respective constituencies — raising money, campaigning and spending a bit of time with the family, perhaps — reporters on Capitol Hill seem to disappear.
Things are so so slow that there are often just a handful of journalists in the normally bustling Senate Press Gallery, just “in case something happens,” says Joan McKinney, deputy director of the gallery. “This is an extremely slow recess.”
These days, the recess is both tradition and law, required by the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, but representatives and senators have been finagling ways to avoid the heat and humidity much longer than that. Even the installation of the building’s first air conditioning system in 1929 wasn’t enough to make the Capitol bearable during the hottest days.
The recess this year started on Aug. 9 and continues until Sept.12.
It’s a time for reporters to catch up on filings, to research hot-button issues that are likely to arise come September, or to simply be on hand should anything noteworthy happen.
Just because a couple dozen press gallery desks are empty, though, doesn’t mean the front pages of newspapers and websites can be, too. Like many of the men and women who make it, the news has migrated.
It helps that this is an election year.
Doing what reporting he can from the Capitol, a Washington Times reporter calls political experts and professors about Charlie Crist’s campaign in Florida for a U.S. Senate seat. For the moment, the work is more analytical. Instead of just trying to keep up with the daily happenings, reporters get a bit more time to analyze what has happened — to divine what we can expect. It’s very forward looking.
“There’s usually people at every place here,” says one gallery member, gesturing to the half cubicles that serve as work space for now-absent writers and reporters. Two visitors follow closely behind him, looking unimpressed.
When searching for a quiet place to read or write, the press gallery during recess is a strong contender. On the third floor of the Senate side of the Capitol, the four main rooms that compose it are bright and pleasant, with high ceilings and large windows. Besides the clicking of shoes on tile, the secretary’s phone is the most distracting noise.
“Senate press,” she answers periodically.
In between periodic bursts of typing, the soda machine hums and the florescent lights buzz. You can almost make out what CNN’s Rick Sanchez is saying on the TV overhead.
It’s tempting to let the lull get the best of you, but journalism students don’t get the luxury of time off simply because Congress is not in session.
Take the time to dig deep into a topic and learn all there is to know about it. See a trend is developing? Make some calls, do some research and see where it takes you.
Fear not: Stories are out there. They’re just a little quieter.