A small group of House Republicans returned to the chamber Monday to resume their protest against Congress starting its August recess without first addressing high gas prices.

Republicans began the effort midday Friday after Congress had shut down for the month. They hammered away at Democratic leaders for failing to take up GOP energy legislation to expand drilling and prodded Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to call the House back into session.

Monday, they picked up on the same themes.

“What you are about to witness is the beginning of a sustained effort to demand that Speaker Pelosi bring this Congress back to Washington, D.C., and give us an up or down vote on an energy bill that includes more access to American oil,’’ said Mike Pence, R-Ind., an organizer of the protest effort.

On Sunday, Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio and Minority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri issued a joint statement announcing plans to continue to monopolize the idle floor. About 25 GOP members were planning to take part Monday. Leaders were scheduled to return to Washington on a rotation during the week.

Led by Pence and Lynn Westmoreland and Tom Price of Georgia, Friday’s talk-a-thon started shortly before noon and stretched on for five hours and 45 minutes.

Republicans have proposed to end an offshore drilling ban and permit drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

But Democrats have opposed those moves, arguing that tens of millions of acres of federal land and ocean floor are already available for drilling. Democrats have proposed that companies lose those leases unless the land becomes productive, under legislation nicknamed “use it or lose it.”

On Monday, lights in the chamber were dim, the microphones were off, and there were no cameras, except for those in lawmakers’ mobile phones.

Pelosi’s office issued a statement Monday, making the case that House Republicans have refused to support a number of Democratic initiatives “to bring down energy costs, promote renewable fuels and energy efficiency and to promote oil production right here in America.”