TMZ has published a series of images showing members of Congress traveling and vacationing as the funding block affecting the Department of Homeland Security stretched into its sixth week.
The photographs reveal lawmakers departing Washington for spring recess, including Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was captured at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
Images show Graham holding a bubble wand, waiting in line for attractions, and dining inside the park, drawing criticism as Congress failed to resolve the funding dispute.
In a statement released by TMZ, Graham claimed the visit followed meetings in Washington and defended his record on the funding issue.
“I voted seven times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat,” Graham said, adding that the trip was to “meet friends.”
The outlet also shared photos of Representative Robert Garcia, D-Calif., at a Las Vegas resort, as well as images of other lawmakers traveling through airports or boarding flights.
Garcia responded on social media, stating he had been visiting his father in Las Vegas and blaming House leadership for the congressional recess.
“Like the story says, my dad has lived in Vegas for 15 years and I had just finished lunch with him. I try to see him whenever I can,” Garcia wrote.
He added, “Speaker Mike Johnson should have never sent us all home.”
Additional images from TMZ show lawmakers from both parties, including Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., traveling during the recess period.
TMZ founder Harvey Levin encouraged the public to submit photos of lawmakers away from Washington, framing the effort as a response to frustration over the funding impasse.
“Maybe they’re on a cruise somewhere, or in Hawaii or some other great place. We want those pictures,” Levin stated in a video.
The outlet’s campaign is part of an effort to expand its political coverage, placing cameras at Washington locations such as airports and the Capitol to capture lawmakers outside official settings.
The images have been presented alongside criticism that lawmakers left Washington without resolving the funding issue while federal workers faced financial uncertainty during the standoff.
