In normal times, trying to cross the Capitol Rotunda on a weekday morning is like playing a live-action game of Frogger, dodging between hundreds of tourists and tour groups as they admire its many statues and crane their necks at the frescoes on the grand dome.
In these extremely abnormal times, the Rotunda is submerged in silence.
The last time the Capitol was closed to visitors was during the pandemic. While some members of Congress are occasionally leading tours for their constituents, the only people here regularly now are Capitol police, staffers, journalists and the workers who keep the Capitol running.
(The public is still allowed into the galleries to listen to lawmakers when the chambers are in session.)
In the Capitol Visitor Center, where you can find a statue of Colorado astronaut Jack Swigert, the only sound is babbling water from a small water feature tucked away in the corner. Usually, it’s completely drowned out by the passing crowds.
Something about the solitude makes it hard to speak above a whisper, even when you’re alone.
It’s not just the tourists who are missing; the House went on recess in mid-September and has yet to return.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept his chamber out of session, canceling votes for five straight weeks now. Democratic leaders have asked their members to be here at certain times; this week, Rep. Joe Neguse led a press conference on SNAP running out of money. Johnson says his members are busy working in their districts.
In normal times, the tunnels under and between the buildings that make up the Capitol complex are a great place to wait for Colorado’s lawmakers to hit them with questions as they shuttle to and from votes. It’s also usually bustling with staffers and tour groups admiring the works of the congressional art competition winners.
Now it’s all subterranean silence.
At least, in the areas frequented by representatives.
Walk over to the other end of the Capitol, the Senate side, and things get suddenly — weirdly — normal.
Reporters are waiting in the subway area, a good spot to catch senators on their way to a vote.
On this morning, neither of Colorado’s come through while I’m there, but Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who’s been involved in informal negotiations to end the shutdown, is quickly encircled by a scrum.
He, like others here, has no idea when the stalemate shuttering the federal government will end.
But it won’t happen before next week. The Senate went home Thursday afternoon again, weirdly, like normal.
- Colorado lawmakers approve $10 million to bolster food banks as SNAP benefits dry up
- Friday marks the first missed paycheck for federal workers, but who else will be impacted as the shutdown grinds on?
- As government shutdown drags on, worry grows about impact if health care subsidies don’t get renewed
