Lawmakers get inventive to keep away from air journey chaos, finish authorities shutdown

The longest authorities shutdown in historical past lastly ended on Wednesday night time after practically each member of the House of Representatives raced to Washington to solid their vote.

The risk of air journey delays — fueled in no small half by the fiscal standoff — in addition to unhealthy climate in elements of the nation compelled some lawmakers to seek out extra unconventional routes to make sure they arrived on time.

First-term Rep. Addison McDowell, R-N.C., for instance, discovered himself carpooling greater than 5 hours alongside House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. — a robust GOP lawmaker greater than 50 years his senior.

“It dawned on me that, for a while there, I was one of the most powerful people in America, because I had the Rules chair, who — we couldn’t start the process of passing this bill until she got here,” McDowell advised Fox News Digital. “We had a one-seat majority, and there was two of us. So, you know, there was a lot of pressure to make sure she got here on time.”

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Foxx’s committee was chargeable for getting ready federal funding laws for a House-wide vote, which it did from simply earlier than 7 p.m. Tuesday till round 2 a.m. Wednesday.

“She just kind of asked, ‘Hey, would you be willing to carpool?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, not a problem at all.’ I’ve got a truck, so I’ve got plenty of room. We could have taken the whole delegation up, just put all the guys in the back,” McDowell joked.

He additionally knew that driving Foxx up sooner than most lawmakers needed to be there got here with sacrifices.

“Neither of us got to participate in any Veterans Day events in our district, which was a real bummer. But we had an important job to do, and that was make sure our government services and our current troops are getting paid,” he mentioned.

McDowell mentioned he spent the roughly five-and-a-half-hour drive asking Foxx questions on her work and her personal life, which she fortunately answered.

And the senior House Republican advised Fox News Digital that she appreciated the expertise herself.

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“I have never had a chance to really sit down with him for a long period of time, so I really welcome the opportunity to get to know him better,” Foxx mentioned. “He told me a lot about experiences he’s had. We talked about things from my side, mostly policy issues, but I did tell him a little bit more about my background.”

Foxx mentioned it was a mixture of unhealthy climate within the North Carolina mountains and considerations about flight delays that moved her to contact colleagues about driving up — till she discovered her schedule most aligned with McDowell’s, and she or he drove herself to satisfy him earlier than the lengthy experience.

“I have to say he’s an excellent driver,” Foxx mentioned. “We stopped in Henderson, North Carolina, and got Chick-fil-A sandwiches — of course, what else would we get? We left there at 11 [a.m.] and we got here at about 4:40 [p.m.].”

Asked if she would do all of it once more, Foxx mentioned, “In a heartbeat.”

Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, additionally opted to drive as a substitute of fly — a visit that spanned greater than 1,000 miles throughout 15 hours in a single day.

Feenstra mentioned he and two staffers “took turns driving” by the night time, stopping just for gasoline and arriving in Washington a while on Wednesday morning earlier than the vote.

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“I had a lot of Veterans Day events. I wanted to make sure that I was in my district for that. And then, once that was completed at 5 last night, we headed this way,” he mentioned. “When that’s your only option, you do it. This job — you’ve got to do whatever you have to.” 

And Midwestern Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., additionally took to the roads, however in a distinct car.

“Democrats shut the government down over 40 days ago now. And I could not count on air travel,” he advised Fox News Digital. “So I talked to my wife for about five seconds and said, ‘I’m getting on the motorcycle and leaving.’ So I did, and I got here on time.”

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Van Orden, who first advised The Hill of his plans, mentioned he rode by sub-zero temperatures and needed to navigate black ice on the roads. At one level, he stopped at a resort “for four or five hours” when the surroundings appeared “sketchy,” he mentioned.

“Someone asked me, ‘Why don’t you just drive a car?’ Here’s why. We only have one car. And I wasn’t going to inconvenience my wife, because she is one of my constituents, and she happens to be my favorite constituent,” he mentioned.

“People around here don’t seem to understand that the mission is more important than their personal security or comfort. And if more people in this building took their job more seriously and realized it’s about the American people than not, then we will be a better country.”