A Day on Capitol Hill

At Laurel Girls’ State in Connecticut, Senator Blumenthal stated that, “Democracy is not a spectator sport”. We observed this first hand as we followed Senator Blumenthal and Senator Murphy through their daily schedules.
Our day began with a photo-op with Senator Blumenthal and our Boys’ Nation counterparts. Senator Blumenthal was in a hurry so he addressed us briefly and began to run to committee. As the Senator departed, his wife encouraged us to chase him. Thus, our journey began. We accompanied Senator Blumenthal to three separate committee meetings that he was scheduled to attend that morning. We attended the quorum call in the Judiciary Committee, watched presidential nominees being interviewed for prominent military positions in the Armed Services Committee, and listened to debate over improving cellular connections in rural areas in the Commerce Committee. Senator Blumenthal’s staff informed us that this was a light day for him, and this shocked us as we had attended three committee meetings in under an hour and a half.
Similarly, Senator Murphy had a jam-packed schedule. After speaking with him, we followed him as he attended his daily appointments. On our way to watch Senator Murphy present an amendment on the Senate floor, we stopped at a reception of Jewish community leaders where the Senator addressed the crowd. After taking the underground tram with the Senator, his Chief of Staff, and his Scheduler, the Senator escorted us to a special viewing gallery where we watched him present his amendment that encourages companies to use American labor.
After spending the day with our Senators, we have a new found appreciation for what our Public Servants do on a daily business to promote the common good of their constituents. We would like to thank our Senators for providing us with this profound opportunity and for further inspiring us to pursue careers in politics. We greatly appreciate the time they spent with us. In addition, great thanks are given to the American Legion Auxiliary for organizing Girls’ Nation and arranging the meetings with our Senators.

Connecticut Senators Sammy Salkin and Alexandra Small