Congress Devolves to Name Calling and Even an Attempted Brawl

(NationRise.com) – Tensions were high during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing recently as insults and even threats were hurled through the chamber.

Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) called out Sean O’Brien, president of the Teamsters, a global, far-left labor union. Mullin recounted Tweets in which O’Brien accused him of exaggerating details about his life, including stories of Mullin building his own company. He then called on Mullin to drop his “tough guy act” and threatened to face him “any time, any place.”

Mullin, a former MMA fighter, then challenged O’Brien to face him at that moment during the hearing. O’Brien accepted, and Mullin stood before Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the committee chairman, stopped him. Sanders tried to calm Mullin by reminding him that he is a US Senator and that Americans “have enough contempt for Congress.” Mullin sat down, but the two continued arguing a few moments longer, and Sanders pleaded with them to stop.

A feud between Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Darrell Issa (R-CA) also devolved into a flurry of insults on X. The tensions began when Greene tried to have Alejandro Mayorkas, the Biden administration’s Security Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, impeached. Issa joined Democrats in shooting down the move despite claiming that he wanted to speak at an impeachment hearing against Mayorkas.

Issa then called Greene “immature” on X, claiming that she lacked maturity and experience. Greene responded with insults that suggested Issa lacked courage.

As that feud raged on, yet another was just beginning during a press conference in Capitol Hill’s basement. Republican Tennessee representative Time Burchett accused Republican Kevin McCarthy, the former House Speaker ousted in October, of elbowing him. McCarthy denied the altercation, although several reporters said they witnessed it. Burchett then said that he chased McCarthy. Tensions have been high between the two since Burchett voted to have McCarthy removed as Speaker.

Congress has an 84% disapproval rating among the American people as of October 2023. It is a record for the current 118th Congress.