30 congressional leaders caught in Scotland -- using taxpayer money amid shutdown

Source: Raw Story

April 1, 2026 4:04PM ET


TMZ caught 30 members of Congress touring Scotland courtesy of taxpayer funding amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.

The large group was captured on camera at Edinburgh Castle, a major tourist location, all while government workers have gone unpaid, according to a report on Wednesday. The image featured Rep. John McGuire (R-VA), Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) all taking a guided tour at the historic location.

"Congress is not supposed to take taxpayer-funded trips like this during a government shutdown — or so we thought — but it sounds like they're getting around it because this is a partial shutdown. The way we see it, a shutdown is a shutdown," TMZ reported.

TMZ has been closely tracking politicians on vacation during the stalemate, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at Disney World, Sen. Ted Cruz on a flight from D.C. to Texas and arriving in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) fleeing D.C., and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) was spotted at a casino in Las Vegas.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/congress-vacationing-shutdown/