C-SPAN might have a reputation for mind-numbing content, but once in a while lawmakers on Capitol Hill spice up the legislative debate with an eye-catching prop.
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From a snowball to a Justin Bieber poster: The 10 best props members of Congress have brought to the floor, ranked
C-SPAN might have a reputation for mind-numbing content, but once in a while lawmakers on Capitol Hill spice up the legislative debate with props.
Highlights have included Sen. James Inhofe's snowball, which he brought to the floor as evidence that climate change is a "hoax" and Rep. Luis Gutierrez's poster of pop stars Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, which he used to illustrate that racial profiling is ineffective in determining a person's immigration status.
To celebrate the end of the August recess, here are the 10 best props members of Congress have brought to the floors of the House and Senate in recent years:
10. Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, attempted to sketch out the Battle of Gettysburg on the 150th anniversary of the famous fight in 2013.
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9. In a speech denouncing GOP lawmakers' Obamacare repeal and replace legislation, Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell used a poster printed with "War on Medicad," misspelling the name of the government healthcare program. The mistake prompted critics to dub the lawmaker "Sen. Cantspell."
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8. In October 2013, Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn accused President Donald Trump of negotiating with non-democratic world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but not with Republican lawmakers in Washington, using this poster for reference.
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7. After Louisville beat Michigan in the NCAA championships in 2013, Rep. Edward Whitfield, a Republican from Kentucky, gifted Rep. Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, a bottle of Maker's Mark, a whiskey made in Whitfield's home district, during an energy and commerce committee meeting.
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6. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois, illustrated his opposition to Arizona's SB1070, also known as the "Show Me Your Papers" law, with a "pick out the immigrant" quiz. At one point, he compared pop stars Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber. "This is for our young C-SPAN," he said, noting that while Gomez might have a Latino-sounding name and Bieber is white, Gomez is in fact the American and Bieber, a Canadian, is the immigrant. "Justin, when you perform in Phoenix, remember to bring your papers," he quipped.
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5. Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, brought a poster printed with President Donald Trump's tweet promising to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid from funding cuts to the Senate floor. Sanders has been critical of Trump's newfound support for dramatic cuts to Medicaid and other government services.
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4. Two Democratic congressmen, Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Ted Lieu of California, brought a blown-up version of Time Magazine's cover showing President Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr., with the words, "Red Handed" shortly after reporting revealed that Donald Jr. and other top Trump campaign officials had met with a Russian lawyer who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. The congressmen read aloud emails Don Jr. exchanged with a publicist who organized the meeting.
Source: C-SPAN
3. Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, attempted to disprove scientific evidence of climate change by bringing a snowball to the Senate floor in February 2015. Inhofe has written a book about climate changed called, "The Greatest Hoax." "It's very, very cold out. Very unseasonable," he told his colleagues, tossing one the snowball.
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2. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, gained widespread notoriety for his "Debt & Deficit" fire-breathing dragon poster, which he used to illustrate the rising cost of healthcare during the debate over Obamacare in 2009.
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1. Arizona Republican Rep. John Shadegg brought a baby named Maddie to the House floor in 2009 to protest the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. "Maddie believes in patient choice healthcare," Shadegg said to laughter from fellow Republicans. "She asked to come here today to say she doesn't want the government to take over healthcare."
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