From TMZ to Trump, pressure grows to bring Congress back during partial shutdown

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., talks with reporters about a funding bill to end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown that began more than a month ago, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/J.

Scott Applewhite) 2026-04-01T04:07:54Z WASHINGTON (AP) — TMZ built its brand tracking celebrities.

Now it’s turning its attention to Congress, chasing down paparazzi-style shots of lawmakers on break from Washington during a record-long partial government shutdown .

Videos and photos posted by the tabloid website showing lawmakers in airports, Las Vegas and even Disney World have racked up millions of views and fueled a growing backlash.

With travel disruptions persisting and some federal workers going without pay, pressure is mounting on Congress to cut short its regularly scheduled recess.

Beyond TMZ, President Donald Trump also wants lawmakers to come back, even hinting he might invoke rarely used powers to call Congress into session.

Still, it’s not clear what a return would accomplish, with the 45-day partial government shutdown at a deeper impasse than ever.

The Senate reached a bipartisan funding deal last week, but House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected it, and House Republicans passed their own version before heading for the exits. “I’m not sure that we’d come,” Democratic Sen.

Chris Coons said Monday when asked about members being called back. “And I’m not sure that there would be any difference from what’s happened so far.” On recess — and on camera As lawmakers headed out of Washington last week, the celebrity-gossip outlet TMZ put out a call. “TMZ is on the hunt for photos of politicians on vacay as TSA officers suffer!” the outlet said in a social media post.

The focus from TMZ — an outlet known more for capturing unflattering footage of celebrities than digging into the nuances of federal policy — was the latest example of how politics is being fueled by viral images and populist sentiment.

Videos quickly followed, showing senators moving through airports — often attempting to shield themselves from cameras — with provocative headlines layered on top.

The clips racked up millions of views.

The outlet didn’t stop there.

Photos of lawmakers on vacation soon followed, including viral images of Republican Sen.

Lindsey Graham at Disney World with captions such as: “Lindsey Graham lives it up at Disney World during the partial government shutdown!” Graham said that he had been in Florida

原文链接: AP News