WASHINGTON — Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, inadvertently nodded off during a marathon budget markup very early Tuesday morning, resulting in a video clip that quickly went viral as he was shaken awake by his colleague.
It was nearly 5 a.m. EDT when the House clerk went through the roll call for House Ways and Means Committee members to cast their vote on a Democratic amendment. But the clerk was forced to pause on one name: Moore, who was softly snoozing in his chair.
Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., is then seen shaking Moore awake, who begins laughing as he votes against the Democratic amendment. Fischbach and Moore exchanged whispers as Moore gave a small bow.
It was a small moment, otherwise lost in the roughly 17-hour hearing that began at 2 p.m. the afternoon before. But in the digital age, nothing is completely missed.
The C-SPAN clip quickly went viral on social media as the camera pans over the lawmakers’ desks to Moore.
Moore wasn’t the only one caught sleeping during the marathon meetings. Both Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., were caught asleep during the Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, which took place at the same time and also dragged on overnight.
The Ways and Means Committee concluded its hearing just before 8 a.m. EDT on Wednesday morning to advance its portion of President Donald Trump’s massive reconciliation bill. The Energy and Commerce Committee continued its markup well into Wednesday afternoon.