Democratic Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen was driven to tears Thursday when she claimed President Donald Trump had “forced” Congress to stay and work ahead of the long 4th of July weekend.
Congress was originally scheduled to have this week off (their 8th week off since January 1st), and Pettersen had to hold back tears because she was working at her office to vote on Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” instead of home.
Pettersen struggled to control her emotions after lawmakers were called back to Washington on their 8th week off of work to vote on the massive tax and spending package.
“We were forced back here. [I] took a red-eye flight, I haven’t slept,” a crying Pettersen complained on social media.
The House won’t get another extended break until the end of this month (when they’ll be off work for five weeks straight). That’s 12 whole working days Rep. Pettersen must endure between then and now.
No wonder she’s on the brink of a meltdown.
“We’re here being forced back to vote on this disastrous budget proposal that is going to decimate our rural hospitals, healthcare that families, millions of families across the United States rely on and increase costs for the rest of us for the private insurance market when we have this much uncompensated care,” she claimed.
“It’s hard to hold back the tears with how bad this bill really is,” Pettersen concluded.
Just got back to DC after flying over night because Donald Trump is forcing a vote on his devastating budget proposal.
It’s hard to hold back the tears when trying to articulate how bad this bill truly is and what it will do to families and communities across this country.… pic.twitter.com/ofrRHtEMxD
— U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (@RepPettersen) July 2, 2025
Lawmakers earn nearly $175,000 a year, and often use their positions to amass huge multi-million dollar fortunes… which is harder to do if they’re stuck working and passing laws at the Capitol, instead of relaxing with donors.
Her tearful comments came as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries employed a filibuster on the House floor, using a parliamentary procedure known as the “magic minute” that allows House leadership to speak virtually indefinitely in an attempt to delay passage of Trump’s legislation.
Vice President JD Vance claimed that on undecided Republican lawmaker actually decided to support the bill after watching Jeffries’ awful speech.
“GOP Congressman just texted me: ‘I was undecided on the bill but then I watched Hakeem Jeffries performance and now I’m a firm yes,'” Vance wrote.
Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee blasted Jeffries’ stunt on the House floor.
“Dollar Store Obama has been hysterically rambling for over three and a half hours, whining about tax cuts for working Americans, bonuses for our brave law enforcement, and mass deportations of illegals. He’s still droning on like a broken record. Meanwhile, President Trump has already secured the votes. The American people stand firmly behind him. Hakeem needs to get off the House floor, take a drug test, and start putting America FIRST — not last,” Ogles said.
“Not sure if his batteries are running low or if he’s just low-T, but someone needs to hand Discount Dollar Store Obama some caffeine ASAP,” he added.
Rep. Nancy Mace said Democratic opposition was helping Republicans pass the bill.
“The left is test running operation ‘let them speak’. News flash: letting Hakeem Jeffries speak only helps us PASS THE BILL,” Mace wrote.
The legislation includes over $100 billion in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and border enforcement, makes changes to reduce fraud and waste in Medicaid, and eliminates taxes on tips and overtime pay. The bill narrowly passed the Senate Tuesday in a 51-50 vote and cleared a procedural hurdle in the House Thursday.
The House procedural vote saw only one Republican defection, with Pennsylvania Rep.e Brian Fitzpatrick voting against the spending package. Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, who had been an initial holdout on the bill, flipped his vote to “yes” during the procedural vote.
Pettersen’s comments about being “forced” to return to Washington and her emotional reaction to being “forced” to work came amid reports that other Democrats have had similar responses to the legislation.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal has claimed that people have been “sobbing” on her shoulder over the “Big Beautiful Bill.”