As widespread flight delays and cancellations continue due to FAA staffing issues, not even members of Congress are immune to the government shutdown’s effect on travel.
“I just didn’t want to take any chances,” said Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern, who normally flies to D.C. but opted for Amtrak to make it to the Rules Committee’s 6:30 p.m. meeting on Tuesday.
“I knew some flights were being canceled, so I took the train, which was a little longer. But I had a chance to talk to people, and got an earful from a lot of people, who quite frankly are horrified that Republicans are trying to screw them over on health care,” he added.
After the Senate passed a stopgap funding measure on Monday evening aimed at ending the shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson put members on a 36-hour notice to get back to Washington. Many headed back a day or two early to avoid attendance issues as the House comes back into session for the first time since Sept. 19.
Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes said at the Rules meeting Tuesday that she had two delayed flights and ultimately took a train from Connecticut to make it in time.
Others shared visual evidence on social media of their journeys back to Washington. For Reps. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., and Rick Crawford, R-Ark., that meant a “quick stop” at a Buc-ee’s convenience store “as we head back to D.C. to end the Democrat shutdown. 8 more hours to go!”
Hoping to sidestep flight delays and cancellations, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden rode his motorcycle 951 miles back to D.C. from his district. Van Orden started his journey on Monday afternoon and arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday.
“You may ask, Derrick, why are you on a Harley Davidson when it’s 32 degrees outside? This is why. Our Senate colleagues finally came to their senses and passed that CR so now we gotta get back to Washington, D.C., and vote on the bill. But because they shut down the government, the Democrats, flights are too unreliable. So I’m gonna ride my motorcycle, it’s gonna take me about 16 hours or so, it’s going to be a little chilly,” he said in a video Tuesday afternoon.
Chronicling his journey on X, Van Orden posted videos as he stopped at gas stations in Ohio and paid tolls in Indiana.
Some, like Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell, had congressional company with them to commiserate through delays.
“We had six of us on the plane, three Republicans, three Dems,” she said.
While her flight back to D.C. was only delayed an hour, she said she had backup flights booked just in case it got canceled or further delayed. And she’s no stranger to a road trip, either — Dingell said she once drove to D.C. with Michigan Republican Rep. Tom Barrett.
Others, like Washington Democratic Rep. Emily Randall, flew back a day early to head off any travel woes.
“I ended up flying a day earlier than planned on an earlier in the morning flight because I wanted to avoid it,” she said.
On Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he wasn’t worried about attendance amid widespread travel issues ahead of the funding vote.
“I expect that everybody’s going to be back and we’ll be at full strength,” he said.
Even after boarding the plane, some members still didn’t have a smooth trip back to D.C. — a flight from Phoenix with Reps. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Eli Crane, R-Ariz. and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., on board was diverted to Kansas City after a passenger who was shouting and causing disruptions was removed by police.
“I’ve taken hundreds of flights back and forth, we’ve had a medical emergency before. This is the first time we had a disruptive passenger, so we had to make an emergency landing in Kansas City … got us here a couple hours late, but we’re here,” Stanton said as he headed into a meeting with House Democrats on Wednesday morning.
The post Planes, trains and motorcycles: How House members got back to DC appeared first on Roll Call.
