Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Sheila Jackson LeeBiden pledges support for Texas amid recovery from winter storm Biden turns focus to winter storm with Texas trip Obama says reparations 'justified' 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. ThompsonREAD: The Republicans who voted to challenge election results Business groups scramble to forge ties amid race for House Agriculture chair Judge halts Trump campaign's mail-voting lawsuit against Pennsylvania 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 HoyerHouse set for tight vote on COVID-19 relief package Key Democrat unveils plan to restore limited earmarks Overnight Defense: Biden sends message with Syria airstrike | US intel points to Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi killing | Pentagon launches civilian-led sexual assault commission MORE (D-Md.) at 639.
Louis (Louie) Buller GohmertNIH director: Mask politicalization may have cost 'tens of thousands' of lives in US Democrats should make the 'Bee-Gees' the face of the Republican Party GOP lawmakers call for Pelosi to be fined over new screenings 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 TrumpSacha Baron Cohen calls out 'danger of lies, hate and conspiracies' in Golden Globes speech Sorkin uses Abbie Hoffman quote to condemn Capitol violence: Democracy is 'something you do' Ex-Trump aide Pierson planning run for Congress 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-CortezOcasio-Cortez: Detailed sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo 'painful to read' The GOP's uncertain future Democrats don't trust GOP on 1/6 commission: 'These people are dangerous' MORE (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar
Ilhan OmarMehdi Hasan gets MSNBC Sunday prime-time show Six ways to visualize a divided America Jamaal Bowman's mother dies of COVID-19: 'I share her legacy with all of you' MORE (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley
Ayanna PressleyPressley says image of Black custodial staff cleaning up Capitol after Jan. 6 riot 'haunts' her DeJoy apologizes for mail delays while defending Postal Service changes DeJoy set for grilling by House Oversight panel MORE (Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib
Rashida Harbi TlaibSix ways to visualize a divided America Jamaal Bowman's mother dies of COVID-19: 'I share her legacy with all of you' Democrats urge Biden FDA to drop in-person rule for abortion pill 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.
