Senate Majority Leader Can't Schedule Vote Until Capitol Fresco Restoration Committee Gives Final 'Artistic Approval' on Every Bill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stood before the Joint Congressional Committee on Capitol Artistic Integrity last Tuesday, explaining that the chamber’s 1886 frescoes had been “temporarily compromised” by a new bill regarding infrastructure spending. “The bald eagle in the dome,” he told reporters, “is currently frowning at the text of the proposed omnibus bill, and as we all know, frowning eagles must be consulted before legislation passes.”
This is the second time in three weeks the Senate has delayed a critical vote pending “artistic review” of proposed legislation. The first delay occurred last month when a bill addressing student loan forgiveness was held up because the Capitol’s Senate chamber frescoes depicted early presidents as “looking confused” about the policy. Senate Historian and Fresco Liaison Dr. Patricia Meriwether confirmed the artworks were indeed “uncertain about the direction of the legislation” and required “consultation with the marble lobby sculptures.”