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By the end of the day last Wednesday, the National Hockey League had played seven games in its fledgling 2025-26 season. There were two fights in total in the competition.
By the end of the day that Wednesday, the government shutdown had lasted eight days. And now long shutdown sparked two extraordinary verbal fights in the halls of Congress between lawmakers.
NHL referees Gord Dwyer and Mitch Dunning handled the Washington Capitals' game against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night in D.C. Perhaps the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms could call on Dwyer and Dunning. to Capitol Hill hand out a few ten-minute offenses in advance.
“You’re embarrassing yourself now!” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., shouted at Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.
JOHNSON UPS BET ON SCHUMER AS GOVERNMENT CLOSES BARRELS FOR THIRD WEEK
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are jeopardizing access to health care by rejecting a federal GOP funding plan. (Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The only shame here is you!” Lawler thundered to Jeffries.
Tempers flared as Lawler waited outside the House Radio/TV Gallery studios, preparing to close after Jefferies completed his now daily press conference.
“You won’t talk to me or talk over me if you don’t want to hear what I have to say!” an animated Jeffries shouted at Lawler, jabbing his index finger into his colleague's chest, but never poking him.
“Oh, I’m listening,” Lawler said.
– So just keep your mouth shut! shouted the usually cool Jeffries.
There were several rounds of fighting between Congress members and Congress leaders.
Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., called the press into the hallway outside the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Ariz., to complain about the shutdown and criticize the speaker for failing to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona, more than two weeks after her election. Johnson then went against the Arizona senators. And Lawler was there, acting as the “fourth man.”
“This is absurd,” Johnson said indignantly.
A SCREAMING MATCH BREAKS OUT BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES AND MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT'S CHAOS CONTINUES
“This is the longest period of existence of the House…” Gallego interrupted.
– Do you want me to answer a question? Johnson shot back.
“You’re not really answering the question,” Gallego countered.
Numerous fights on the floors between legislators were almost unprecedented in Congress. Attacks on lockdowns have been accompanied by debates over health care. Lawler brandished a bill aimed at supporting Democrats during the shutdown: a package to extend Obamacare subsidies.
“If you believe it so much!” – reproached Lawler with a rhetorical uppercut.
“Bro, do you understand math?” struck back at Jeffries.
Tensions are rising in the Capitol. Respectfully, you asked Johnson about Lawler's confrontation with Jeffries and his decision to leave the Speaker's Office to confront Kelly and Gallego. I remarked to the Speaker that if the House of Representatives is in session, there may be fist fights in the corridors.
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on the tenth day of the federal government shutdown on October 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
“Are you concerned and do you have a responsibility as Speaker to try to lower this temperature?” I asked.
Johnson added that the incident “disturbs me.” He added that he wanted to “restore civility to the institution.”
“Let's talk about political issues. But don't get personal. It gets personal. Emotions are running high. People are upset. I'm upset. I'm a very patient person. But right now I'm very angry because this is dangerous stuff. And wouldn't it be better for them to be physically separated right now? They probably are.” Johnson said.
Lawmakers aren't the only ones furious. Thousands of federal employees are outraged by the shutdowns. The administration is now laying off federal employees.
“Right now, many families are paying the price for a political impasse they did not cause,” said American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelly.
TENSE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE DEMs CAUGHT ON CAMERA ON A BLACKOUT
Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., represents 44,000 federal workers in her district near Washington, D.C. She notes that Maryland has lost 15,000 federal jobs since President Trump took office in January.
“I believe (the firings) are not only unethical and immoral, but it is also illegal for him to be an RIF employee at the time of the shutdown. He has not been granted any new powers. president or OMB during the shutdown,” Elfreth said. “I don't believe in negotiations through threats. It also shows that I think they have the weaker hand and that they are losing the PR battle at the national level by resorting to threats.”
While the shutdown is the main event, the undercard is the fight between Democrats and Johnson over Grijalva to succeed her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. The elder Grijalva died in March after a battle with cancer.
“I can't hire staff. We don’t have an office,” Grijalva said. “So I feel like a second-class citizen.”
Democrats have repeatedly tried to force House swearing in Grijalva during short, formal sessions where the body gives in and gives in within seconds. Once in office, Grijalva will provide the crucial 218th signature to override the Speaker's head and force the House to vote on a measure to release Epstein's files.
“Bring your people and stop covering for pedophiles.,Gallego shouted at Johnson during their confrontation in the hallway.
“That’s funny,” Johnson responded.
“Nobody covers for pedophiles,” Lawler chirped from the back of the bout. – So get the hell out of it.
Johnson denies that the Grijalva robbery is connected to the Epstein files.
Speaker Mike Johnson canceled a House vote for the third straight week in an attempt to pressure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer during the government shutdown. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite; Allison Robbert/AP Photo)
“I think we will schedule it as soon as she wants. That has nothing to do with it,” Johnson said.
But last week, Grijalva wrote to the speaker demanding she be sworn in immediately. And the House of Representatives has yet to swear her in.
Circumstances were different this spring, when the GOP majority in the House of Representatives was reduced to one seat. Republicans needed as many votes as possible to pass the parliamentary framework of the “Big and Beautiful Bill.” Johnson took the oath of office Representatives Randy Fine, Republican of Florida, and Jimmy Patronis, Republican of Florida, the day after winning the special election.
“These guys have worked hard and earned this position,” Johnson said when he met with them in April. “These gentlemen are going to come and help us implement the America First agenda.”
Johnson noted that the swearing-in of Fine and Patronis made the lead “a little more comfortable” for House Republicans.
Therefore, Johnson does not yet allow the House of Representatives to meet. House Democrats will return to Capitol Hill this week to emphasize that Johnson will not allow the House to sit during the shutdown. Still, bringing everyone back to the Capitol would likely spark the equivalent of a line brawl in Congress.
There are unwritten rules of hockey fights. You can't hit someone. You don't knee your opponent. Usually you fight someone in your weight class. In hockey, both teams warm up on their side of the red line before the game and between periods. Violating this code can provoke a major fight.
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Lawmakers on both sides appeared to abandon their side of the rink to pick a fight with the other side. Gallego and Kelly outside the Speaker's office. Lawler outside Jeffries' press conference.
But legislators are apparently ignoring these unwritten rules. The government shutdown is about to enter its third week, and everyone is throwing off the gloves.
