Dingell defends dozing off as Trump’s rapid agenda exhausts Washington

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Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) is pushing back after being caught dozing off during an all-night House hearing, saying she had been awake for nearly a day and a half fighting Republican efforts to cut Medicaid.

“Been up for 31 hours straight fighting Republicans trying to gut Medicaid. Closed my eyes to think about an America where everyone has access to quality, affordable health care,” Dingell wrote on X Wednesday morning.

Dingell, 71, wasn’t the only lawmaker spotted napping.

Video footage from the Capitol hearing shows Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), 80, also dozing in the corner of a live feed while a colleague spoke just inches away. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT), 44, was seen being gently shaken awake by a fellow lawmaker after failing to respond to a question, prompting laughter in the chamber.

The hearing, part of a marathon session debating President Donald Trump’s domestic policy bill, stretched late into the night and early morning hours, visibly wearing down members of Congress. Footage of lawmakers nodding off quickly went viral, sparking a wave of criticism — and some amusement — online.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) came to the defense of the sleepy lawmakers during an appearance on Fox News’s OutNumbered.

“I’m going to defend them,” McCarthy said. “These are different committees. You are not on the floor, and you are doing this markup, which started yesterday. And you’re talking 5:00 in the morning. What is happening is the Democrats are trying to play games to delay it. You are offering different amendments. It’s not exciting so you’re just sitting there.”

He continued, “I know Blake [Moore]. He’s a wonderful guy. Go up and go outside the room if you’re getting tired, but he wants to stay in the game. I give them the benefit of the doubt on this.”

McCarthy added with a laugh, “I hold the record for the longest speech ever given on the House floor. I didn’t know I would have to go that long, and when I got into it, Nancy Pelosi held the record. I had to go throughout the night.”

The exhaustion lawmakers are feeling is not unwarranted, considering the pace of legislative work in recent days.

On Wednesday morning, the powerful tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee advanced its portion of Trump’s sweeping domestic agenda — which he has branded his “one, big, beautiful bill” — on a party-line vote after a grueling 17-hour markup. The session began at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and continued through Wednesday morning. The committee passed the legislation 26–19, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed.

Two other House panels — Agriculture and Energy and Commerce — were still working through their sections of the bill on Wednesday. The Energy and Commerce markup has been underway since Tuesday afternoon, while Agriculture reconvened Wednesday morning after hours of debate Tuesday night.

While Capitol Hill is running on fumes, exhaustion has also hit Trump administration officials traveling abroad.

In Riyadh, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was seen looking tired during Trump’s speech following the signing of a U.S.-Saudi economic agreement with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Nearby, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared to be exhausted while sitting during the remarks.

Rubio’s moment of fatigue comes just days before he’s scheduled to represent the U.S. in Istanbul at high-stakes peace talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump announced Tuesday that Rubio would lead the U.S. delegation, calling the talks “potentially very promising.”

“Talks are being held in Turkey later this week — probably on Thursday — and they could produce some pretty good results,” Trump said while in Riyadh. “Marco is going to be going there, others are going to be going, and we’ll see if we can get it done.”

Rubio’s growing list of roles within the Trump administration has kept him stretched thin. On May 1, he was officially charged with serving as Trump’s interim national security advisor, following the nomination of former National Security Council chief Mike Waltz to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In addition to overseeing the State Department, Rubio is also serving as the acting archivist of the United States after Trump ousted a Biden-era appointee. Rubio is also leading the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as it moves toward dissolution by September, further stretching his already heavy workload.

Bessent, too, has been navigating a demanding international schedule. Over the weekend, he was in Switzerland for trade negotiations with Chinese officials, where he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer reported “substantial progress” on reducing the U.S. trade deficit.

That breakthrough deal with China followed Bessent’s earlier agreement with the United Kingdom, which is expected to expand market access for U.S. agricultural exports and eliminate several non-tariff barriers. Final details of both the China and U.K. deals are expected in the coming weeks.

And while recent images of tired lawmakers and Trump officials have made headlines, they’re not without precedent on the world stage. Former President Joe Biden has faced repeated scrutiny for appearing to nod off during international events.

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In December 2024, Biden was seen resting his eyes during a meeting with African leaders in Angola, propping his head up with one hand as Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango spoke. The moment ended when an aide whispered in his ear. That episode came amid a string of similar incidents that sparked questions about the president’s stamina.

Back in 2021, Biden was also caught on camera closing his eyes during opening remarks at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. An aide approached and spoke to him briefly before Biden opened his eyes and clapped as the speech concluded.

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