Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Reuters
In a Capitol Hill auditorium last week, Republican and Democratic lawmakers came together and listened to an official briefing on the federal budget. Then they verbally sparred and swapped thoughts about it afterward.
If that sounds like a mundane scene for Congress, it isn’t—in fact, most of the people in the room couldn’t remember anything like it happening in their entire congressional careers.
“I’ve been here a decade,” said Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ). “I don’t think I’ve ever had that happen before, where it was both parties listening, and then both parties going up to the microphone.”