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H.Res. 559 House Real Bill Referred to Committee 113th Congress

Congressional Gym Access During Shutdowns

Essential Workers: Furloughed. Congressional Treadmills: Open.

Legislative Progress
Introduced Oct 3, 2013
Introduced
2
In Committee
3
Reported
4
Adopted
Absurdity Index
4/10
4-6Pork-Adjacent

During the 2013 government shutdown, 800,000 federal workers were furloughed — but Congress kept its exclusive gym open. This resolution would have closed the gym during shutdowns. Apparently that was too much to ask.

Sponsor
Bill Foster D
Committee
Committee on House Administration
Introduced
Oct 3, 2013
Category
Ethics

Party Balance

D
Primary Sponsor Bill Foster
Democrat
Cosponsors (3 total)
D:3

Key Milestones

2 total actions

Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

Introduced in House.

Estimated Taxpayer Cost

$158,316

~2 hours of congressional session time at $79,158/hour

(535 members × $174k salary ÷ 147 session days ÷ 8 hours)

Simplified estimate based on salary costs only. Actual costs include staff, facilities, and lost productivity.

Satire notice: Spending figures, pork tracking, and editorial commentary below are satirical estimates for entertainment purposes. They are not official government cost analyses. Legislative history and vote records are real — verify at Congress.gov .

Pork Barrel Meter
$0
$0$100B$1T+
"Squeaky Clean"

Satirical estimate for entertainment purposes

Watch the Sausage Get Made

See how this bill transformed through 3 stages of the legislative process.

Deep Dive

Official CRS Summary

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the House gym should be closed during any lapse in appropriations (government shutdown) when federal employees are furloughed.

Read full summary on Congress.gov
All Legislative Actions 2
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Introduced in House.

Congressional Research Service Summary

House Resolution 559 expressed the sense of the House of Representatives that the House gym should be closed during any lapse in appropriations (government shutdown). The resolution was introduced during the October 2013 government shutdown, when approximately 800,000 federal employees were furloughed without pay.

Bill Details

During the 2013 shutdown, the congressional gym — a taxpayer-funded facility available exclusively to members of Congress — remained open. This became a symbol of congressional privilege while national parks closed, Head Start programs shut down, and hundreds of thousands of federal workers went without paychecks.

The gym includes:

  • Swimming pool
  • Sauna and steam room
  • Paddleball court
  • Basketball court
  • Full weight room
  • Cardiovascular equipment
  • Locker rooms with towel service

The facility operates at an estimated cost of over $1 million per year. When asked about it, several members expressed surprise that it had remained open.

The Optics Problem

The resolution was straightforward: if the government is shut down, Congress doesn’t get to work out on the taxpayer’s dime. Despite its common-sense appeal, the resolution never received a vote.

Rep. Bill Foster, a physicist and the only research scientist in Congress at the time, introduced the resolution with three cosponsors. Their argument was simple: if federal workers are furloughed without pay, members of Congress shouldn’t be enjoying taxpayer-funded amenities.

The resolution was referred to the House Administration Committee — the committee that oversees House operations, including the gym. Unsurprisingly, the committee did not act on a resolution that would restrict its own members’ privileges.

A Pattern

The gym remained open during subsequent government shutdowns as well, including the 35-day shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019 — the longest in U.S. history. While 800,000 federal workers went without pay, members of Congress could still enjoy the pool.

Congressional pay also continued during shutdowns, adding to the perception that Congress insulated itself from the consequences of its own dysfunction.

Source: This is a real resolution introduced in the 113th Congress. View on Congress.gov.

Disclaimer: The absurdity score and editorial commentary above represent this site’s opinion. Bill details should be verified at Congress.gov.

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This page is satirical commentary by AbsurdityIndex.org. Legislative history comes from public congressional records; spending estimates and "pork" figures are editorial and may not reflect official cost analyses. Absurdity scores are subjective editorial ratings. Verify all claims at Congress.gov

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