At a Wednesday hearing by the House Subcommittee on Health, there were more witnesses in attendance than there were members of Congress.
Both the House and the Senate are in their second week of recess, and just two members of Congress — Subcommittee Chair Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania and Vice Chair Michael Burgess of Texas — attended the hearing, entitled “Protecting America’s Sick and Chronically Ill.”
The two Republicans were vastly outnumbered by the five witnesses who spoke and answered questions at the hearing.
Thirty House members sit on the committee.
Pitts press secretary Andrew Wimer said the Pennsylvania congressman came to D.C. specifically for the hearing.
Asked about the reasons for scheduling the hearing during recess when, as evidenced by the empty chamber, most members are home in their districts, Wimer said, “Providing coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions is a high priority and Chairman Pitts is taking advantage of the recess week as an opportunity to bring attention to the issue.”