| Long known for their pork, some in Congress apparently really do need to trim the fat.
Rushing to the House floor from a committee meeting, 14 members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Dale E. Kildee, D-Flint, jumped on an elevator Wednesday and apparently exceeded the 3,000-pound limit.
As a safety precaution, the elevator was automatically locked down - trapping the legislators and the elevator operator in the close quarters for about half an hour.
"All of us have been drawn literally closer," Kildee quipped.
Kildee, who staked out a position on the left side of the elevator in the bipartisan group, said, "I remained calm because I figured there is not much I can do about it."
Kildee has missed only one vote in the past 15 years and maintains a 99.9 percent voting record during his 27 years on Capitol Hill, prompting Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill, to hold up voting to help Kildee keep his streak going.
Once freed from the elevator, Kildee ran up two flights of stairs to vote.
And, for the record, at 185 pounds, Kildee said he couldn't be blamed for the overload.
- Marjory Raymer |
