Late-Night Work in U.S. Congress Shows Problems

Apr 24, 2026, 15:35

Introduction

The U.S. Congress often works very late at night. Lawmakers say this happens because they cannot agree on things. They call this a big problem.

Main Body

On December 2, 2025, the Senate started voting late at night. They voted on a budget for immigration police. Senator John Kennedy said it was hard to stay awake. The voting ended after 3:30 in the morning. Everyone was very tired. This is not a new thing. Leaders from both parties use late nights to make people tired. Then they can pass laws more easily. Senator Kevin Cramer said the problem is getting worse. He said many lawmakers think only about themselves, not about the group. Here are two examples. In March, Senate leaders made a deal about money for some police groups. But the House did not agree. They wanted more money. The deal did not happen. Another time, leaders kept members in the House until after midnight to pass a law about spying. One lawmaker said the process was too fast and not clear. The Senate uses a special process called "reconciliation." This lets the majority party make many votes. Senators can add many changes. Leaders often put these votes in the middle of the night. Senator Lisa Murkowski walked 14,291 steps to stay awake. Last year, the same process helped pass President Trump's tax cuts. That needed two all-night meetings.

Conclusion

Late-night meetings in Congress happen more often now. Lawmakers use tiredness to get laws passed. There is no plan to change this.

Vocabulary Learning

agree (v.)
say yes / to have the same opinion同意；贊成
Example:They cannot agree on things.
law (n.)
rule / a rule made by the government法律；法例
Example:They can pass laws more easily.
meeting (n.)
gathering / an event where people come together to talk會議
Example:Late-night meetings in Congress happen more often now.
tired (adj.)
needing rest or sleep疲倦的；累的
Example:Everyone was very tired.
vote (v.)
choose / to make a choice in an election or meeting投票
Example:The Senate started voting late at night.

Sentence Learning

The U.S. Congress often works very late at night.
Time Marker & Prepositional Phrase: 'Often' is a time marker showing frequency. 'At night' is a prepositional phrase showing when.「often」是時間標記，表示頻率。「at night」是介詞短語，表示時間。
Lawmakers say this happens because they cannot agree on things.
Reason: 'Because' connects the reason (they cannot agree) to the result (this happens).「because」連接原因（他們無法達成共識）和結果（這種情況發生）。
On December 2, 2025, the Senate started voting late at night.
Time Marker & Prepositional Phrase: 'On December 2, 2025' is a specific time marker. 'Late at night' is a prepositional phrase describing the time.「On December 2, 2025」是具體時間標記。「late at night」是介詞短語，描述時間。
Then they can pass laws more easily.
Sequence: 'Then' shows the next step in a sequence of events.「then」表示事件順序中的下一步。
Last year, the same process helped pass President Trump's tax cuts.
Time Marker: 'Last year' is a time marker indicating when the event happened.「last year」是時間標記，表示事件發生的時間。