A photo of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) sitting on the steps of the U.S. Capitol went viral.
LA Times Photojournalist Kent Nishimura posted an image of Sanders sitting on the steps looking exhausted.
“Big Vote-a-rama energy with [Sen Sanders] on the steps of the Senate, as the Senate enters hour 13,” Nishimura tweeted.
Big Vote-a-rama energy with @SenSanders on the steps of the Senate, as the Senate enters hour 13. pic.twitter.com/IA4XBGkvlO
— Kent Nishimura (@kentnish) August 7, 2022
The photo sparked a variety of reactions across Twitter, including a comparison to Schoolhouse Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill” song.
Los Angeles Times writer Stacy Perman wrote, “I’m just a bill Yes, I’m only a bill And I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill Well, it’s a long long journey To the capital city It’s a long long wait While I’m sitting in committee But I know I’ll be a law some day At least I hope and pray that I will But today I’m still just a bill.”
I'm just a bill Yes, I'm only a bill
— Stacy Perman (@StacyPerman) August 7, 2022
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill
Well, it's a long long journey To the capital city
It's a long long wait
While I'm sitting in committee
But I know I'll be a law some day
At least I hope and pray that I will
But today I'm still just a bill https://t.co/XZ430HOwqv
Another user joked, “Great opening shot for the biopic tbh.”
Great opening shot for the biopic tbh https://t.co/wdwhDVtHy9
— AVC (@annevclark) August 8, 2022
Check out more reactions below:
Is there a more photogenic Senator? https://t.co/W2BRolOLv5
— Sam Stein (@samstein) August 7, 2022
This could launch a billion memes. https://t.co/gRtuqt4eaA
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) August 7, 2022
Album cover https://t.co/edXJrazDMT
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) August 7, 2022
Big Schoolhouse Rock Energy https://t.co/C9b0j46M33 pic.twitter.com/XqKvcE10mV
— Tracy Maher (@tracym) August 8, 2022
This could be an album cover https://t.co/czg3E7d4i8
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) August 7, 2022
People are saying this has album-cover energy but it's specifically got "lead singer leaving his band to do an album of jazz standards" energyhttps://t.co/54k456DNtj
— Zack Budryk (@BudrykZack) August 7, 2022
https://twitter.com/Bex_Long/status/1556444611983380481
Slow Bern mixtape dropping soon 🚨 https://t.co/q2qQRcvfrj
— Corey H. Jones (@coreyhjones_) August 8, 2022
The Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act over the weekend after a marathon of amendment votes known as a “vote-a-rama” that went on for close to 16 hours.
On Saturday, Sanders tore into the bill for not doing enough for Americans.
“According to the [Congressional Budget Office] and other economic organizations that have studied this bill, it will have a minimal impact on inflation,” Sanders said on the Senate floor.
Claiming the bill does not address the needs of Americans, Sanders explained, “This legislation does not address the reality that we have more income and wealth inequality today than at any time in the last hundred years.”
Additionally, according to Sanders, “This bill does nothing to address the systemic dysfunctionality of the American health care system.”
The Washington Post noted the bill is designed to fight climate change, lower the cost of health care, and reduce the federal deficit.