GOP Rep. Draws Howls After Accusing Democrats Of Drinking On House Floor

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) drew jeers on Wednesday after she accused Democrats of drinking alcohol on the House floor amid the ongoing votes for House speaker.

“They want us to fight each other — that much has been made clear by the popcorn and blankets and alcohol that is coming over there,” Cammack chuckled as she spoke in favor of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has been unable to secure enough support for the job.

Democrats objected on the floor, shouting angrily for Cammack’s words to be stricken from the House public record. But since the chamber hasn’t elected a speaker, it hasn’t been able to adopt a rules package allowing for the formal procedure to strike remarks from the public record.

Cammack continued her speech after several moments of loud boos from the Democratic side of the aisle. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) later responded to Cammack with a quip of her own on Twitter: “If only! If Dems took a shot every time McCarthy lost a Republican, we’d all be unconscious by now.”

It’s not unheard of for members of Congress to imbibe between painfully lengthy series of votes. Members of the Senate, for example, have been known to frequent a bar in the Senate dining room from time to time.

Democrats were practically gleeful watching the chaos unfold in the House this week. Some got out bags of popcorn to snack on as they headed to the floor. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) shared a photo on Twitter: