Key facts
- House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled votes scheduled for Thursday.
- Lawmakers will leave for the midterm election recess a day early.
- The cancellation avoids a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- Johnson stated that a moratorium on AI development would cause the US to lose its edge to China.
- Over 100 House Democrats urged Johnson to cancel the recess to vote on AI safeguards.
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Wednesday that he would cancel votes scheduled for Thursday, sending lawmakers home one day early ahead of the midterm election recess. This decision avoids a vote on Republican Thomas Massie’s resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Democrats reacted angrily, with Representative Pramila Jayapal stating that the cancellation shows "the cowardice of the Republican Party" and that they are "afraid that that impeachment resolution of Pete Hegseth would pass on a bipartisan basis."