‘Where The Hell Have You Been?’: House Democrats Grill Republicans Over Nearly 8-Week Absence

House Democrats blasted Republicans this week as members returned from an extended recess imposed by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

“We’ve been looking for you guys everywhere. Where the hell have you been?” quipped Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) during a Wednesday floor speech. “Imagine my shock when I found out that you guys went home, eight weeks of taxpayer-funded paid vacation for Republicans.”

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) similarly called out lawmakers for their nearly two-month absence as Johnson kept members out of session to put pressure on Democrats.

“It is a privilege to serve in Congress,” she said on Tuesday. “I want to know from our colleagues who I can literally hear laughing in the other room, where were you? Where were you for the last eight weeks?”

Johnson has argued that House members did their job by passing a short-term funding bill before Republicans skipped town in September. He insisted, too, on keeping the lower chamber out of session as the shutdown dragged on, claiming that it gave members the opportunity to do meaningful work in their home districts.

Democrats, however, argued that Republicans were forsaking their responsibilities by abstaining from regular business for so long. Since the House was out of session, lawmakers didn’t hold votes on legislation, hold Committee meetings or engage in floor debate.

Republicans also made little effort to try to negotiate and reopen the government, Democrats said.

Multiple Republicans, including Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) pushed back on Democrats’ critiques and argued that they were working in their districts throughout the shutdown.

In a particularly contentious exchange on Tuesday, Foxx stressed that she “worked every day” when she was called out by Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari (Ariz.), HuffPost’s CorEy Townsend reports.

“I hope that you all enjoyed yourselves while American families looked at their letters from their health insurance companies, terrified that their insurance premiums were going to double or triple while the House was out of session for 53 days. That is unacceptable, Madame Chair,” Ansari said.