The Democratic Doctors Caucus was interrupted by a barrage of tourists during a press conference outside the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday.
As Congress rushes to pass President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ before the self-imposed July 4 deadline, House Democrats hosted press conferences throughout the Capitol on Wednesday protesting the $3.3 trillion bill.
The Democratic Doctors Caucus, comprised of the six Democratic physicians serving in the House of Representatives, planned a press conference in Statuary Hall, a room down the hall from the House speaker’s office.
Apparently noticing the large gaggle of reporters staking out Johnson’s office amid last-minute member holdout negotiations, the caucus moved their press conference to right outside the speaker’s office. Donning their white coats in the crowded hallway, the Democratic doctors began their prepared remarks.
But that area is a major tourist corridor, and the press conference was quickly flooded with tourists walking from the Rotunda past Johnson’s office and into Statuary Hall.
Police officers directed members to stand on one side of the corridor, while the press stood on the other.
The result was unusable to journalists as tour guides and tourists’ chatter drowned out their remarks. The Democrats’ comments were inaudible.
Their press conference also created somewhat of a tourist traffic jam between the two areas, as officers struggled to keep the area open.
Democrats have railed against potential Medicaid cuts since Trump was elected in November. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), at least 10 million people will lose health insurance by 2034 due to Trump’s megabill.
While Trump has maintained that the bill does not cut Medicaid and Republicans claim the bill only cuts waste, fraud and abuse in the program, Democrats have continued to speak out against the projected cuts.
The Democratic Doctors Caucus planned to highlight the harm Medicaid cuts could have on hospitals during their press conference Wednesday, but their remarks were drowned out by the steady flow and chatter of tourists walking back and forth from the Rotunda to Statuary Hall.