Several Democratic presidential hopefuls on Thursday said Congress should cancel its upcoming two-week recess and immediately start impeachment proceedings against President Trump.

“Congress must immediately cancel [its] recess and begin impeachment proceedings to hold him accountable,” said former housing secretary Julián Castro. “The future of our democracy depends on it.”

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke chimed in on Twitter, saying: “The House should cancel its break and start impeachment proceedings now. As the whistleblower made clear: Every day Trump is in office, our democracy is less safe. We can’t wait to act.”

The House and Senate are about to leave D.C. for a two-week break and aren’t scheduled to be back in for legislative business until after Columbus Day next month.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, who controls the floor schedule, told reporters Wednesday that he wasn’t planning on canceling the recess because it was important for members to head home and explain things to their constituents.

Some members have suggested that the relevant committees could continue their work in the coming weeks.

After slow-walking impeachment talks for months, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday that the House would open a formal inquiry into whether to bring articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump.

The tipping point for many Democrats was tied to the recent disclosure of a July phone call between Mr. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The call is part of a whistleblower complaint alleging that the president pressured Mr. Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, a top candidate for the Democrats’ 2020 presidential nomination.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky have both denied the notion that Mr. Trump put undue influence on the Ukrainian president.

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