Article II of the Constitution gives the President the power to adjourn Congress if—and only if—the House and Senate cannot agree on a date for ending the current session.

But they have agreed—January 3, 2021.

There’s a reason why this power has *never* been exercised before. https://twitter.com/abc/status/1250554416824029188">https://twitter.com/abc/statu...

In the old days, congressional sessions did not run all the way to the end of each Congress—so it was possible that the House and Senate would disagree about a specific adjournment date.

Today, though, the second session runs right to the end of the Congress—noon on January 3.

The Senate could always try to change that. But a motion to adjourn would be subject to cloture—meaning it would need at least 7 D votes.

The majority could get *rid* of cloture by a simple majority, but I have to think this would be a bridge too far for at least 4 R senators.

Finally, it’s worth noting, for the record, that the President has had this very Senate confirm a record number of federal judges, and hasn’t bothered to even *nominate* anyone to fill some vacancies—like Secretary of Homeland Security, which has been vacant since April 10, 2019.