House adds an extra day to prep for busy week

House Republicans have added an extra day of work to the schedule before they leave for the year, a change that was made in anticipation that next week — the last scheduled week of work in December — will be a busy one.

The GOP said Monday, Dec. 9 would be a legislative day, and that members would consider a few suspension bills. That means the House will work a full week, Monday through Friday.

{mosads}The Republican leadership says no votes will be held on that day. However, a GOP aide said the reason for coming back earlier is to prepare for a possible busy week or work, which might include conference reports on the budget or the farm bill.

More specifically, starting on Monday would let the House Rules Committee work more quickly to set up rules for votes on these measures, though there is no firm schedule yet. As of today, there has been no announcement of any deal on a House-Senate budget plan or the farm bill.