Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Sheila Jackson Lee40-year march: Only one state doesn't recognize Juneteenth Biden signs Juneteenth bill: 'Great nations don't ignore their most painful moments' Federal government to observe Juneteenth holiday on Friday MORE (D-Texas) spoke on the House floor more days than any other lawmaker this past decade, according to C-SPAN data released Monday.
Jackson Lee, who has served in Congress since 1995, routinely speaks on the House floor about national issues of the day, including those related to the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees on which she serves.
C-SPAN data found that Jackson Lee delivered House floor speeches on 1,013 days over the past decade. She was followed by Rep. Glenn Thompson
Glenn (G.T.) W. ThompsonStefanik shake-up jump-starts early jockeying for committee posts READ: The Republicans who voted to challenge election results Business groups scramble to forge ties amid race for House Agriculture chair MORE (R-Pa.) at 959 days, former Rep. Ted Poe
Lloyd (Ted) Theodore PoeSheila Jackson Lee tops colleagues in House floor speaking days over past decade Senate Dem to reintroduce bill with new name after 'My Little Pony' confusion Texas New Members 2019 MORE (R-Texas) at 877 and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
Steny Hamilton HoyerBiden signs Juneteenth bill: 'Great nations don't ignore their most painful moments' House passes political spending, climate change corporate disclosures bill House to vote Wednesday on making Juneteenth a federal holiday MORE (D-Md.) at 639.
Louis (Louie) Buller Gohmert21 Republicans vote against awarding medals to police who defended Capitol GOP's Gohmert, Clyde file lawsuit over metal detector fines Wray grilled on FBI's handling of Jan. 6 MORE (R-Texas), who is known for delivering lengthy floor speeches at the end of most congressional workweeks, came in sixth at 612 days.In one memorable appearance in 2017, Jackson Lee kneeled on the House floor to show solidarity with NFL players who faced attacks from President Trump
Donald TrumpWhite House denies pausing military aid package to Ukraine Poll: 30 percent of GOP voters believe Trump will 'likely' be reinstated this year Black Secret Service agent told Trump it was offensive to hold rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth: report MORE for kneeling during the national anthem at games to draw attention to police brutality against African Americans."I kneel in honor of them. I kneel in front of the flag and on this floor," Jackson Lee said at the time.
Even though Jackson Lee topped her colleagues for speaking days in the decade, she did not log the most days on the floor this year.
Thompson spoke 121 days to Jackson Lee's 95 days, which added up to at least eight hours of speaking time, according to C-SPAN.
In the previous Congress, from 2017 to 2018, Jackson Lee logged a total of roughly 24 hours in House floor speeches.
The four progressive first-term lawmakers known as "the squad" — Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezHillary Clinton backs Shontel Brown in Ohio congressional race Ocasio-Cortez, Gillibrand and Moulton call for more high-speed rail funding in infrastructure package Pelosi picks Democrats for special panel tackling inequality MORE (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar
Ilhan OmarYoung Turks founder on Democratic establishment: 'They lie nonstop' Hillary Clinton backs Shontel Brown in Ohio congressional race The Hill's Morning Report - Dems to go-it-alone on infrastructure as bipartisan plan falters MORE (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley
Ayanna PressleyIt's past time we elect a Black woman governor House Republicans introduce resolution to censure the 'squad' Progressives rally behind Omar while accusing her critics of bias MORE (Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Harbi TlaibHouse Republicans introduce resolution to censure the 'squad' Progressives rally behind Omar while accusing her critics of bias Omar: I wasn't equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries MORE (Mich.) — spoke about as often as their fellow freshmen.C-SPAN calculated that the average House freshman spoke on the floor 18.4 days this year.
C-SPAN also found that the number of pro forma days in session has increased in the past decade in both chambers of Congress.
In 2011, when House Republicans were in the majority, the House had 20 pro forma days. That number jumped to 59 days this year under the Democratic majority.
The Senate had 20 pro forma days in 2011, when Democrats led the Senate, compared to 39 this year under a GOP majority.
The number of days in session has remained about the same for both chambers over the decade, with the House and Senate clocking in around 170 days each year.
