Is This Why Buffalo Rep. Higgins Is Quitting Congress?

Being an elected representative in America is a tough job to have. Most elected officials who have left office will tell you about how toxic the electoral process has gotten all across the country, whether it's the local school board or Congress.

This fact seems like it was confirmed recently when Brian Higgins, the Representative to Congress from Buffalo, essentially confirmed the dysfunction in Congress.

Congress is not the institution that I went to 19 years ago. It’s a very different place today... We’re spending more time doing less. And the American people aren’t being served... There was a time where leadership could discern between what was serious and what was not. Unfortunately, those days are over.
-Brian Higgins, Representative for NY-26

The toxicity of politics is pretty well documented nowadays; you need to look at the ads that run during any political cycle. But, things seem to have devolved so far that literal fights are now breaking out between Members of Congress and witnesses.

Is Activity Like This Why Higgins Is Quitting Congress?

One example of that dysfunction happened this week in a Congressional hearing that was being presided over by Senator Bernie Sanders.

During the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin got into a verbal altercation with Sean O'Brien, President of the Teamsters Union.

During the argument, Senator Mullin, a former MMA Fighter, got out of his seat and attempted to fight O'Brien physically. The fight might have happened if Senator Sanders had not intervened and reminded Senator Mullen that he was a Member of Congress.

Stop it! No, no, sit down! You know, you’re a United States senator!
-Sen. Bernie Sanders, yelling at Sen. Mullin

In the aftermath of this fracas in the halls of Congress, Sen. Mullen doubled down on wanting to beat up the Congressional witness, blaming political correctness for why the fight didn't happen.

This sounds like some of the toxicity that Rep. Higgins was talking about. You can check it out for yourself in the video below.