NPR

Counting Votes Or Counting Sheep?

Dozens of members of Congress sleep overnight in their Capitol Hill offices. NPR's Scott Simon has some suggestions for how to reform the system at least one critic has called "almost nasty."12
Rep. Mike Quigley, whose Washington, D.C. office doubles as his home away from Chicago, lays his mattress onto the floor before going to sleep in 2010.

Shhh...

Your representative in Congress may be sleeping ... in his or her office.

An estimated 40 to 50 representatives, or maybe more than 100, reportedly bed down in their offices each night. They're men and women, but mostly men, Republicans

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Bearing Witness, Celebrating Strength: How Poetry Has Changed Lives For NPR's Audience
From sparking the imagination to helping with mental health, listen to poems read by NPR readers and see how poetry has affected their lives.
NPR3 min readAmerican Government
Who Is Hope Hicks, The Former Trump Adviser Testifying In New York Criminal Trial?
Hope Hicks was a communications director for the Trump White House and prosecutors may question her on her knowledge of the deals made during his first presidential run.
NPR3 min read
Scientists Welcome New Rules On Marijuana, But Research Will Still Face Obstacles
When marijuana becomes a Schedule III instead of a Schedule I substance under federal rules, researchers will face fewer barriers to studying it. But there will still be some roadblocks for science.

Related Books & Audiobooks