This was a vote on a resolution providing for an adjournment of the two Houses of Congress for the traditional July 4 Recess. The House requires a formal resolution for it to adjourn for a recess. Approval of resolutions allowing for recesses is routinely given. The leadership of the Democratic majority proposed this resolution. The House Republican Conference, which is the policy-making body of the Republican House Members, had been taking what it described as a symbolic position to protest the manner in which the Democrats were conducting business in the House, and had opposed resolution recesses. Forcing a vote on this otherwise routine resolution was part of that protest.

This was a “privileged resolution” and, under House rules, no debate was permitted. However, debate on a different routine resolution indicated the attitude of the Republicans on how the Democrats were conducting legislative business in the House. During that earlier debate, Rep Foxx (R-NC), who serves on The House Rules Committee, said that “(W)e were promised 3 years ago by the (Democrats), who were then in the minority, that we were going to have a different way to do things once they took over. But it seems like it's business as usual. Things are being done secretly. Bills are being crafted behind the scenes without any involvement from Republicans. We're dealing with things that don't need to be dealt with on the floor because we are avoiding dealing with the things that we should be dealing with and debating them in open.”

The resolution passed by a vote of 243-180. Two hundred and thirty-nine Democrats and four Republicans voted “aye”. One hundred and sixty-nine Republicans and eleven Democrats voted “nay”. As a result, the House agreed to the congressional recess around the July 4 holiday.