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And it's becoming the Capitol building version of "Where’s Waldo?" for freshman New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been vocally outspoken against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as the federal government shutdown nears one month.
Ocasio-Cortez took to social media this week, condemning McConnell and President Donald Trump for their roles in the ongoing shutdown, which is impacting upwards of 800,000 workers, including approximately 114,000 federal employees in the state she represents.
“He’s not in the cloak room. He’s not in the Capitol. He’s not in the Russell building. He’s not on the floor of the Senate. And 800,000 people still don’t have their paychecks - so #WheresMitch?” she posted on Twitter.
She later posted a photo of herself and other representatives in an elevator, searching for McConnell on The Hill.
“800,000 workers are missing their paychecks and we’re pushing to get them paid ASAP,” she posted with the picture. “We’re here doing our job - the House has voted to reopen government whole or in part several times - so why can’t we find GOP Senators to ask them do theirs? #WheresMitch"
"We went to his office, he wasn’t there. We went to the Senate floor, and he wasn’t there. Tomorrow he’s heading out of town on an “issues retreat” with his @SenateGOP colleagues. There’s no more urgent issue than calling for a vote in the Senate to #EndTheShutdown #WheresMitch," Congresswoman Veronica Escobar added on Twitter.
In a letter to McConnell, the Freshman Class of the 116th Congress called on an end to the shutdown in a letter signed by all but one member.
The letter states that in December, the Senate unanimously passed legislation that could have kept the government open. Then this month, the House passed those same bipartisan bills and sent them to the Senate. “If the Senate were to pass these bills, we would be able to re-open the government and then proceed to a debate about immigration reform and border security.”
“However, it is impossible to have a meaningful policy discussion while the executive holds public servants hostage,” they wrote. “We respectfully request that you allow the Congress to work its will and allow a vote on this bipartisan legislation to end the shutdown so that we can end this manufactured crisis and allow our devoted federal workers to get back to work for the American people.”
During her inaugural speech on the House floor this week, Ocasio-Cortez was critical of the current administration and the shutdown.
“It is not normal to hold 800,000 workers’ paychecks hostage. It is not normal to shut down the government when we don’t get what we want. It is not normal for public servants to run away and hide from the public that they serve,” she said. “And it is certainly not normal to starve the people we serve for a proposal that is wildly unpopular among the American people.”
McConnell has stood resolute that he will not bring legislation to the floor unless he believes Trump will sign it - which has appeared unlikely through the first four weeks of the shutdown.
The Senate Majority Leader took to Twitter on Wednesday himself to talk about the shutdown.
“The American people deserve a functioning government and a secure border,” he posted. “We’re in Day 26 of a partial government shutdown because Democrats have made a marketing decision to obstruct President Trump, at all costs, even if it hurts substantive priorities they used to support.”
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