Congressional leaders have been placed on a rotating schedule of round-the-clock sessions after the administration's intelligence chiefs declared the reauthorization of a surveillance authority a matter requiring uninterrupted attention. Senators and representatives will now occupy the chamber in eight-hour shifts, with no member permitted to leave the building until the measure passes.
An administration official told reporters that the White House had arranged cots, meal trolleys and a lighting plan for the Capitol's corridors. "This is going to be a huge priority and push by the administration, because this really needs to get done," the official said. "We have stocked the cloakrooms. Nobody is going home before the lame duck period is over."
Attorney General Todd Blanche, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and CIA Director John Ratcliffe have set a deadline of December 9 for the renewal process to begin, which the agencies say is the only timetable compatible with a March lapse. Members who fail to show for their shift will be assigned an additional shift, a provision the letter describes as a matter of national security.
Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson have agreed to post the schedule in every office. Minority Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have been offered the same cots. Their staff confirmed that the new rota will begin in the first week of December and continue until the Section 702 provisions are restored.