The party in D.C. might be over.
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Louisiana, introduced a resolution Thursday to make senators and representatives subject to random drug tests once every term. Higgins joked that he’d seen things in Washington that made him think drug screenings are a must.
“I have observed some behavior that would cause one to wonder,” Higgins said.
“Based upon some of the behavior I’ve seen, I’d be very interested to know what kind of illegal drugs are flowing through the veins of our elected officials in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
He also said he thinks the tests would be only fair, since many working Americans in other sectors have to take them.
“Elected officials in Washington, D.C., should be subject to the same kind of random drug screenings that blue-collar, working-class Americans have to endure,” Higgins said in a statement.
“Congress shouldn’t get to live by a different set of rules,” he added. “This effort is about maintaining accountability and ensuring sober service to We, the People.”
Under Higgins’ proposal, Congress members would have to reimburse taxpayers for all costs related to their drug screenings. Any lawmaker who tests positive for illegal drugs would be reported to the House or Senate Committee on Ethics for further review. The ethics committees would also publicize the names of any Congress members who refuse the tests.
Higgins, who also serves as a reserve deputy for the Lafayette city marshal, first proposed the idea in a Facebook video he posted in June. He filmed himself in his car after saying he had just finished a random drug screening for the marshal’s office. READ MORE: