In the Parallel Universe That is the House of Representatives, September Never Ended

Politics|In the parallel beingness that is the House of Representatives, September ne'er ended.

• Oct. 1, 2021, 10:44 a.m. ET

It is the archetypal time of October. The aerial is crisp successful Washington, Halloween is near, and yes, it’s clip for that aforesaid Green Day gag astir September ending.

But successful the House of Representatives, it is inactive Sept. 30.

When Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Democratic leaders moved Thursday nighttime to hold a planned ballot connected a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, they besides efficaciously stopped time, hitting a legislative “pause” fastener that was aimed astatine placating the mean helping of their party.

Only successful Congress, which is governed by arcane rules and traditions that often run similar a parallel reality, is it imaginable to widen a time for much than 24 hours. In this case, by keeping the House successful recess connected Thursday night, alternatively of adjourning arsenic it does astatine the extremity of astir days, leaders were capable to support the enclosure successful the Sept. 30 legislative day, careless of the existent transition of time.

It allowed lawmakers, aides and White House officials who had toiled each time to scope an elusive woody among warring Democratic factions connected President Biden’s flagship home argumentation measure to spell location for a fewer hours of slumber without officially calling it quits. And it smoothed the way for leaders pushing to onslaught a compromise connected Friday to caput instantly to the level for a ballot arsenic soon arsenic they scope a breakthrough.

But the bigger crushed for Ms. Pelosi’s calendar instrumentality was political. She had promised a radical of mean Democrats who demanded a ballot connected the infrastructure measure this week that it would spot enactment by Sept. 30. By refusing to let Oct. 1 to rotation around, Ms. Pelosi was upholding her committedness successful the precise astir method of ways, and offering the moderates a fig leafage to screen for the nonaccomplishment to unafraid the ballot they had been promised.

“It ain’t implicit yet! This is conscionable 1 agelong legislative time — we virtually aren’t adjourning,” Representative Josh Gottheimer, Democrat of New Jersey and a starring proponent of the infrastructure measure, wrote connected Twitter precocious Thursday evening. “Negotiations are inactive ongoing, and we’re continuing to work. As I said earlier: grabbing immoderate Gatorade and Red Bull.”