Interested in finding out how much TV time your member of Congress spends talking on the House floor? Thanks to C-SPAN, it’s possible to find out.
The cable network that carries gavel to gavel coverage of the House and Senate is out with its latest stats on which House members had the most floor appearances during the two-year 114th Congress that ended Thursday. (Senate figures aren’t yet available as the Senate is still in session, at odds over a stopgap budget that would keep most of the government running through April 28.)
The figures are based on the number of days each member gave addresses on the House floor. Leading the pack: Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-Pa., who racked up 209 days. He was followed by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who finished with 164 days. Third was Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., with 141 days and fourth was Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., at 137 days.
House members are given a minute at the start of the day to talk on issues near and dear to their constituents or to elaborate on talking points championed by their parties. Though the C-SPAN cameras don’t show it, they are often talking to an entirely empty chamber. But the video clips are a staple of congressional press releases to show House members at work.