A brief recess, then a flurry of stories

After six consecutive weeks in session, the 114th Congress has broken for its first weeklong recess.

All-Republican rule has not been entirely smooth, but fresh off a trip Thursday to the White House, where he witnessed President Barack Obama sign a law to fight veterans’ suicides, Georgia Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson struck an optimistic tone.

In addition to the Clay Hunt Suicide Protection for American Veterans Act, Obama has signed a terrorism risk insurance bill. Both houses of Congress passed a bill to force the president to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which he has vowed to veto.

Even with Senate Democrats repeatedly blocking debate on a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security while striking Obama executive actions on immigration, Isakson said the upper chamber has been effective.

“We did more in six weeks in real work and productive work than we did in a year last year — by the way, Sen. (Mitch) McConnell is running the Senate,” Isakson said. “That makes it exciting.”

In the coming months, a series of deadlines loom for DHS funding, Medicare reimbursement cuts for doctors, a budget resolution, a depleted highway trust fund and the always thrilling debt ceiling.

“You’re going to not have to work too hard to come up with stories,” Isakson said.