Congress has recessed until after the midterm elections and have left some Americans wondering why they even came back.

Members of Congress are leaving Washington, D.C. to campaign to keep their jobs, but they're leaving town without completing their most basic responsibility -- approving a budget.

Instead, members passed a stop-gap measure to keep government running until after the election. They also punted on political issues like extending former President George W. Bush's tax cuts and two ethics cases involving high-profile Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said members are eager to get back to their states. However, for some members locked in tough re-election battles, home may be just as unpleasant as Washington.

"The mood across the country is to throw the rascals out, and the rascals by a big majority are Democrats," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. "So this ought to be a good year for us."

While President Barack Obama was out on the campaign trail for Democrats, he faced tough questions from voters as he wrapped up a week of campaign stops designed to reassure Americans and make the case against a Republican takeover of Congress.

"They want to borrow $700 billion to provide tax cuts for the top two percent of Americans," Obama said.

Next month, First Lady Michelle Obama hits the campaign trail in an effort to drum up enthusiasm among Democrats who, right now, are trailing Republicans in the race for control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and maybe the U.S. Senate as well.