Cameras Catch Multiple Members of Congress Sleeping on the Job During Reconciliation Push
Multiple members of Congress were caught sleeping during committee hearings Wednesday, following an all-night session working on the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” which incorporates President Donald Trump’s campaign promises regarding taxes.
Democrat Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan was seen napping while the House Energy and Commerce Committee debated Medicaid provisions in the bill.
Republicans are calling for a work requirement to receive Medicaid, similar to that needed to be eligible for welfare, for those who are able-bodied.
Dingell replied to a post on X showing her sleeping, by writing, “Been up for 31 hours straight fighting Republicans trying to gut Medicaid. Closed my eyes to think about an America where everyone has access to quality, affordable health care.”
Been up for 31 hours straight fighting Republicans trying to gut Medicaid.
Closed my eyes to think about an America where everyone has access to quality, affordable health care. https://t.co/gj8gttmX1X
— Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) May 14, 2025
In January, then-President Joe Biden’s White House published a fact sheet celebrating that a “record-breaking” number of people had obtained their health care under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which included the expansion of Medicaid eligibility.
“Medicaid covers about 80 million people. Thanks to the President’s leadership, over one million Americans in four states now have Medicaid expansion coverage, driving total ACA-related enrollment to over 45 million,” the document stated.
The cost of Medicaid in fiscal year 2019, before the pandemic, under President Donald Trump, was $409 billion.
The price of the program during Biden’s last year in office was $618 billion.
In addition to Dingell, GOP Rep. Blake Moore of Utah was also caught napping during a committee hearing Wednesday.
He had to be woken up for a Ways and Means Committee vote shortly before 5 a.m.
It’s 4:57am ET … there’s another vote during the House Ways and Means markup … and they have to wake Rep. Blake Moore pic.twitter.com/Z2XlhiMtve
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) May 14, 2025
Moore took it in good stride, laughing at himself as he voted “No” to the provision.
While the Democrats are seeking to portray the Big, Beautiful Bill as a giveaway to the rich and corporations — as they did the GOP Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017 — many of the provisions are aimed right at working and potentially lower-income Americans.
We’re delivering President Trump’s promises to allow the economy to flourish:
✅No taxes on tips
✅No taxes on overtime
✅No taxes on loan interest for American-made cars
✅ Tax relief for seniors pic.twitter.com/3KWEHWZDzL— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 14, 2025
The Washington Post reported that those provisions include no tax on tips or overtime, an extra $4,000 to the standard deduction for people over 65, and increasing the child tax credit from $2,000 per child to $2,500.
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