Heard on the Hill

Rep. Billy Long, the proud owner of verified Twitter handle “auctnr1,” reminded us again this week why his colleagues call him Congress’ “auctioneer in residence.”

As President Donald Trump finished his third State of the Union speech Tuesday night and Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore her copy in half, Long was stationed in the center-right aisle of the chamber to get the president to sign his tie.

The State of the Union came and went on Tuesday, and will soon be overtaken with news of the expected acquittal of President Donald Trump in the Senate on Wednesday. 

Amid some remarkable, and some small moments, CQ Roll Call's photojournalists were there. 

It’s been a rough couple of years for fans of overstated political TV. First we said goodbye to “Scandal” and all its backroom sleaze. Then it was “House of Cards” and “Designated Survivor.”

We still can’t talk about the final season of “Veep,” which took the absurdities of Washington and reduced them to a single, never-ending cringe.

The words “Ways and Means” and “glamorous” have likely never been uttered together in the history of either, but CBS is hoping to change that with a new political drama.

The oldest standing committee in Congress, which oversees things like taxes and Social Security, is getting a facelift — at least on TV. Former “Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey — aka McDreamy — is going to help.

Shadow Inc., the company behind the app currently destroying Iowa’s plans of remaining “First in the Nation” among presidential primary contests, is looking for a new customer service client success representative. Monday night, excited election watchers gathered in front of their televisions with their snacks to await the returns in the Iowa Democratic presidential primary caucuses. And they waited. And tweeted. And waited. And eventually (I assume) went to bed. Then woke and waited some more.

That’s because an app commissioned by the Iowa Democratic Party and designed to tally and transmit the results experienced a glitch. Precinct captains and volunteers who’d never used the app were stuck in limbo. The Nevada Democratic Party had planned to use the app in their upcoming caucuses, but announced they would abandon that plan.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer was one of the youngest staffers on the Clinton administration’s speech writing team.

“The good news is I was only 23 so I don’t think I realized just how overwhelmed I should have been by being in the West Wing,” said Gottheimer while showing CQ Roll Call the Clinton speech memorabilia adorning his walls.

President Donald Trump is on deck to deliver his third State of the Union, and what he’ll say about impeachment is the big question of the night.

Whether he lets fly with the “i”-word or avoids it, congressional Democrats are trying to move on — or at least that’s what they’re signaling with the guests they’ve invited.

Deco tried to take over the chairman’s seat, but he kept sliding off.

That didn’t stop him from owning the room — lounging on the dais, pawing the wooden gavel and basking in the “ooos” and “ahhs” of everyone there.

Updated, 11:05 a.m. | What happens when a creative young staffer with a monotonous job and hours to kill takes to Instagram? A hilarious meditation on Hill life told through the language of our time: memes.

Hungover mornings, angry constituents, awkward interactions and career anxiety are all being meticulously documented by a group of meme accounts taking over Capitol Hill. There’s one for almost every position in a congressional office — staff assistant, legislative correspondent, press secretary, communications director and scheduler. Even campaign fundraisers and committee staffers get a nod.

“Tectonic” is the word that comes to mind when Gerald E. Connolly thinks back on his early days in Washington.

The year was 1979, and the future congressman was fresh out of graduate school. He landed a job as a staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

If you know where to look, you can spot Rhonda Foxx’s “superwoman cape.” Hint: It’s not draped behind her.

It’s worn on her wrist — a large metallic bracelet that she twists whenever she’s feeling self-doubt. “If you ever see me speak, you’re going to see me touch a cuff,” she told me on a recent Sunday night.

After three decades of trying to blend into the woodwork, Hugh Halpern comes to the office and sees his own face on the wall. His picture is hanging in the lobby.

The new director of the Government Publishing Office spent 30 years as a congressional aide, and pushing down his “staffer instincts” has so far been one of the hardest parts of the job.