In an embarrassing moment, a prominent House Democrat appeared to doze off during a hearing, leading conservatives to fire off some brutal quips online, taking aim at everything from her comedic posture to the multiple water bottles on her desk, which led some to speculate that she was hungover.
For context, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) was filmed slumped over with her eyes closed, appearing to be asleep, during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on May 14, 2025. In response, conservatives sounded off on X, accusing the Democrat of sleeping through a critical meeting.
Never afraid to make a Democrat the butt of a joke, conservatives on X savagely roasted Rep. Dingell, with the user Bernard Conway writing, “It’s called a hangover, thus the 4 water bottles,” referring to the copious amount of bottles of water sitting on Dingell’s desk. Another user quipped, “Must be smoking that good Michigan weed.” One user asked, “Was she snoring in the mic?”
However, Rep. Dingell shot back on X with a fiery response, writing, “Been up for 31 hours straight fighting Republicans trying to gut Medicaid.” She added, “Closed my eyes to think about an America where everyone has access to quality, affordable health care.” In response, conservative influencer Matt Van Swol wrote, “HOT TAKE: Don’t stay up all night if you can’t do your job the next morning.”
In addition, several other conservatives roasted Rep. Dingell in response to her own post, with the user Anna Hoffman writing, “Can we start with America who protects women? You voted NO on the Laken Riley Violence Against Women Act AND yes to include men in women’s bathrooms.” Another user wrote, “Deb, you really think we believe that crap??? Step down for the sake of your constituents!”
However, Rep. Dingell did not stay asleep throughout the entire hearing. According to press accounts, she made a case for expanding medical staffing, saying, “Chronic understaffing continues in nursing homes and the elderly and disabled Americans living in nursing homes have suffered as a result.”
Furthermore, Rep. Dingell’s office defended her to the press, portraying her as a hero for pulling an all-nighter with fellow Democrats in an effort to block the passing of President Trump’s budget bill. A Dingell rep told the Daily Mail, “At the time of the video, Congresswoman Dingell had been up for 27 hours, including working all night in committee to fight Republicans’ efforts to gut Medicaid.”
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In addition, Rep. Dingell was not the only representative who was apparently caught sleeping during the hearing. According to press accounts, Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) was also photographed napping during the hearing, which reportedly went on through the night. The same goes for Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). In response to being caught sleeping, Rep. Moore told the Daily Mail that he “may have needed a quick power nap.”
Watch the viral clip:
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) fell asleep in hearing room. pic.twitter.com/5i2jz5KF3e
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) May 14, 2025
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video