With the U.S. government shutdown stretching to over a month due to a lack of funding — eventually becoming the longest shutdown in the nation's history, according to the BBC — many members of Congress seem unconcerned about getting the ball rolling again.
In fact, according to TMZ, dozens of them went on vacation.
🚨🎥 TMZ is still hunting for footage of vacationing members of Congress and it's now gone international. About 30 lawmakers were spotted touring a castle in Scotland and guess who's footing the bill? YOU. pic.twitter.com/oONy6uCMpy
— TMZ (@TMZ) April 2, 2026
According to spokespeople for the representatives in question, they all took a trip to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, with more than 30 members of Congress visiting tourist sites like Edinburgh Castle.
It was supposedly a pre-planned trip to meet foreign dignitaries, and it was apparently approved by the House Ethics Committee.
With that said, it was perhaps bad luck that the representatives were captured on film in comfortable jeans and windbreakers, visiting a popular vacation spot, with their travel expenses paid by the American taxpayer. Meanwhile, back home, many federal workers were worried about how they would pay rent.
Normally, a taxpayer-funded trip like this would not be allowed during a government shutdown.
However, Congress seemed to find a loophole in this instance. This is a "partial" shutdown, not a full one, so the representatives were able to continue spending freely.
They also themselves continued to draw a paycheck as members of Congress, which — as Sen. John Kennedy has sought to resolve by locking away Congress pay in a "vault" during shutdowns — may have contributed to their lack of urgency in resolving the situation.
According to the BBC, the previous record-setting shutdown occurred in 2025 and ended in November after 43 days. The 2026 shutdown reached 44 days on March 29.
The representatives were also lucky to be able to travel, given the disruptions to TSA operations due to missing paychecks. On April 2, TMZ pointed out the issues had still not been resolved in a video on X.
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Save $1,000 this year 💸 While other travelers are experiencing disruptions due to a lack of TSA personnel, these Congress members don't seem to need to worry.
TMZ reported that its photos of politicians in Edinburgh include Virginia Rep. John McGuire, Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden, North Carolina Rep. David Rouzer, New York Rep. Claudia Tenney, and Missouri Rep. Jason Smith.
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