委员会主席桑德斯做的非常好，果断制止了可能发生的武斗。
他说的非常好。 让穆林坐下。 说你是参议员。 工会主席是证人来作证的。参议员有什么问题可以问问题，让他回答，而不是武力打斗。
Mullin read aloud O'Brien's original tweet at the hearing Tuesday: "Greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self made. In reality, just a clown & fraud. Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these senate hearings. You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy."
Mullin then said at the hearing: "Sir, this is a time; this is a place. You want to run your mouth? We can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here."
"OK, that’s fine, perfect," O'Brien said.
"You want to do it now?" Mullin replied.
"I'd love to do it right now," O'Brien said.
"Then stand your butt up then," said Mullin.
"You stand your butt up," said O'Brien.
Mullin then stood up and the committee’s chairman, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., stopped the altercation from happening, yelling at Mullin: “Stop it! No, no, sit down! You know, you’re a United States senator."
When Mullin got up from his chair, appearing ready for a fight, Sanders yelled at him to sit down, banged his gavel several times and told both of them to stop talking.
“This is a hearing, and God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress, let’s not make it worse,” Sanders said.
As Mullin persisted, O’Brien retorted: “You challenged me to a cage match, acting like a twelve year old schoolyard bully.”
The two traded angry insults for several more minutes — each called the other a “thug” — with Mullin at one point suggesting they fight for charity at an event next spring, repeating an offer he made earlier this year on social media.
O’Brien declined, instead suggesting they meet for coffee and work out their differences. Mullin accepted, but the two kept shouting at each other until the next senator, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, started her questioning by talking over them.
纽约时报报导，美国联邦政府关门大限再次迫在眉睫，众议院于当地时间14日通过临时法案，交付参议院后须在17日午夜前通关，待总统拜登签署后生效；然而，国会山庄一举一动动辄得咎之际，议会殿堂竟传出肢体冲突、约“单挑”等离谱场面。
当地时间14日上午，田纳西共和党众议员柏谢特（Tim Burchett）正在走廊接受记者采访，前众院议长麦卡锡（Kevin McCarthy）经过时肘击柏谢特的背部肾脏位置后径自离去，柏谢特随即追上前对质。在场记者事后在社群媒体X表示听见柏谢特连呛麦卡锡“混账”、“孬种”、“可悲”。
上月麦卡锡惨遭八名同党人士逼宫，柏谢特正是其中一人。事后柏谢特评论“不过是恶霸的烂招”，麦卡锡则否认肘击柏谢特，称走廊太狭窄才导致碰撞，“可能肩膀碰到吧，我没有冲过去也没有打他，更没有揍他肾脏”。不难想见共和党内的分歧持续闷烧中。
不光众院爆发“肢体火花”，参议院也传出开会开到约单挑的离谱场面。
先前共和党奥克拉荷马参议员穆林（Markwayne Mullin）和国际卡车司机工会（International Brotherhood of Teamsters）会长欧布莱恩（Sean O’Brien）已经在社群隔空互呛，近日参议院健康，教育，劳工和退休金委员会（Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee）召开听证会，穆林直接念出欧布莱恩骂他“小丑”、“骗子”的贴文。
接着穆林说：“先生，就是现在，就在这里”，练过综合格斗的穆林一边说一边起身，然后拿下婚戒作势开打。
从社群平台X的影片可见，正当两人叫嚣不断时，无党籍佛蒙特参议员桑德斯（Bernie Sanders）出声制止，要求穆林回到自己的位置，“你是美国参议员！请坐好！”，尽管如此，两人依旧不罢休，桑德斯不得不敲木槌大吼“住嘴！”
同日下午，众院监督委员会（Oversight Committee）讨论拜登儿子杭特（Hunter Biden）的财务问题时，共和两党议员也爆发口角。
民主党佛州众议员莫斯科维茨（Jared Moskowitz）拿共和党肯塔基州议员科默（James R. Comer）的家人财务状况反击，科默遂嘲笑身穿蓝色套装、打蓝色领带的莫斯科维茨“搞得像个蓝色小精灵”。蓝色小精灵（Smurf）是知名的漫画卡通人物。
部分议员抱怨，连续五周马不停蹄开议导致所有人心浮气躁，事实上背后存在更严肃的理由。
众院难得团结一致推出新科议长强生（Mike Johnson），不料极右派共和党人因为最新一项拨款法案未能削减支出或变更政策再度感到不满，共和党佛州众议员盖茨（Matt Gaetz）公开表示反对，并就麦卡锡疑似肘击柏谢特提出道德投诉。
新科议长强生显然也深感国会烟硝味浓厚，14日上午在记者会上直言，“这里简直就是压力锅”。