The House’s Newest Accomplishment: Cool New Lapel Pins For Members

Like school children lining up to receive their class pictures, members of the so-far historically unproductive House of Representatives on Thursday had three alphabetical lines at a desk just off the House floor from which to choose: A-Gal, Gar-Mora and More-Z.

The occasion? Picking up new member lapel pins, small mementos serving not only as literal badges for one of the most exclusive clubs in the world but also as a secondary security device, helping distinguish members from the staffers, lobbyists and journalists that rub shoulders in the U.S. Capitol.

But this time was different: Instead of picking them up at the start of the 118th Congress last year, they were picking them up this week, a year later. And their new color sparked some partisan snark.

“Today we’re getting a new pin, half way through the term because the @HouseGOP didn’t like the color. Big congrats to them on their first tangible accomplishment of the 118th,” posted Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) on social media, posting a picture of the old, blue 118th Congress pin next to one of the new, green 118th pins.

For a House that in its first year was half of the least productive Congress since the Herbert Hoover administration, is in the middle of a clash between a new House speaker and the hardline right wing of his party and faces the prospect of a partial government shutdown in a week, it struck some Democrats as illustrative of the House GOP majority’s mismatched priorities.

“I’m awfully proud of these guys for getting something done,” Casten told HuffPost, adding:

“When we have a war in Ukraine that we can’t get funding to, a crisis in Israel and Gaza and a government shutdown eight days away and we’re prioritizing the color of fashion choices, that