Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) condemned the treatment of Senate pages in light of Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) admitting that he yelled at pages early Thursday.
Van Orden, freshman GOP representative and retired Navy SEAL, called the pages “lazy s***s” and told them to “get the f*** up” off the Capitol Rotunda late Wednesday. At the time, the pages were staffing the late vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, and Van Orden was giving a Capitol tour.
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My message to the Senate Pages:
This is one of the most amazing experiences you’ll ever have. Take it in. Learn a lot. And of course, have fun.
My message to out-of-line Members of Congress who yell at Senate Pages:
Learn to respect others, especially kids.
— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) July 27, 2023
“My message to the Senate Pages: This is one of the most amazing experiences you’ll ever have. Take it in. Learn a lot. And of course, have fun,” Murray posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “My message to out-of-line Members of Congress who yell at Senate Pages: Learn to respect others, especially kids.”
Senate pages tend to be high school-aged and assist in the chamber by delivering correspondence and legislative materials from outside the Senate floor onto it.
Van Orden would not deny the events to the Washington Examiner on Thursday, noting he took issue with the pages treating the Capitol “like a frat house common room.”
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“I have long said our nation’s Capitol is a symbol of the sacrifice our servicemen and women have made for this country and should never be treated like a frat house common room,” Van Orden said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.
Murray has served in the Senate since 1993. Meanwhile, Van Orden is up for reelection for the first time in 2024.
