Conservative activist Scott Presler just shared the U.S. Senate’s official 2026 work schedule… and it will make your blood boil.
Presler, who has spent years working to register and mobilize conservative voters, shared the Senate’s tentative calendar for the 119th Congress, 2nd Session — a color-coded document where red days mean the Senate is not in session. There is a lot of red.
The Senate convened onJanuary 5, 2026. By June 1, it had logged just 83 work days for the year. A full month-long summer recess begins August 3, with the Senate not scheduled to return until September 3.
After that, there’s a week break in September for Rosh Hashana, more time off through October and November, and the Senate will adjourn for the year on December 18. When the year is done, senators will have worked somewhere around 140 and 160 days in 2026 — half the amount of days regular Americans with full-time jobs were.
Their salary for this is $174,000 annually, not including their generous health benefits and other perks. The average American makes under $60,000 annually.
Take a look —
Beginning August 8th, the Senate will go on vacation for 37 days. pic.twitter.com/97fQ5BRAQZ
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) July 15, 2026
Outraged voters on social media noted what is sitting unfinished while senators head to their luxury vacations.
The SAVE America Act — Trump’s single stated top legislative priority, which would require photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote — has passed the House three times and has never received a Senate vote.
The National Defense Authorization Act, the must-pass military funding bill, was already tanked once in the House and still hasn’t cleared Congress. Appropriations bills for fiscal year 2027 remain unfinished.
The U.S. debt level continues to spiral out of control. The U.S.-Mexico border wall construction isn’t complete. Deportation rates are far below the promised level. Inflation continues to push American bills higher and higher. An Iran war is ongoing.
Not exactly time for a beach vacation for the legislative branch.