A group of MAGA congressmen was busted playing tourist at a famous castle in Scotland as federal workers at home struggle on without pay.
TMZ reported that Virginia Rep. John McGuire, Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden, and North Carolina Rep. David Rouzer were snapped among a gaggle of tourists outside Edinburgh Castle as the government shutdown stretched into its 47th day.
On Sunday, the partial shutdown became the longest in history as it surpassed 44 days. The Senate reached a bipartisan funding deal last week, but House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected it, and House Republicans passed their own version before heading for the exits. TMZ cited two sources who work on Capitol Hill who said the congressmen were taking a tour of the castle. They said other lawmakers might have been present, too.
The sources added that the congressmen might have been part of a Congressional Delegation or CODEL, although those trips are usually canceled during a shutdown. If indeed it was a CODEL, the trip to President Donald Trump’s ancestral homeland may have been paid for using taxpayer money. The Department of Defense often provides aircraft for travel, too, although it’s not clear whether the delegation would have had to pass through a TSA checkpoint manned by unpaid agents.
All three congressmen have been contacted for comment. Van Orden, reached for comment by TMZ, was said to be “none too pleased” at the interruption, and told the publication he was on the trip celebrating a positive diagnosis regarding his wife’s health. In January, he missed votes as she underwent scheduled surgery for a brain cyst.
MS NOW Congress reporter Matt Fuller identified up to three other House Republicans in the photo, “including Greg Murphy, Bill Huizenga and (I think) Chris Smith.”
Murphy represents the 3rd district of North Carolina, Huizenga represents Michigan’s 4th congressional district, and Smith has been the representative for New Jersey’s 4th congressional district since 1981.
The Daily Beast has contacted all of them for comment.
TMZ put out a call last week as lawmakers left Congress. “TMZ is on the hunt for photos of politicians on vacay as TSA officers suffer!” the outlet said in a social media post.
Soon after, it released a series of images of Sen. Lindsey Graham strolling through Disney World in Florida, clutching a Little Mermaid-themed bubble wand. Other photos depicted the South Carolina Republican, who is unmarried and has no children, enjoying brunch at Chef Mickey’s and waiting in line for his turn on the Space Mountain rollercoaster.
Graham insists the magical trip came only after he met with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff for very serious discussions on peace in the Middle East.
Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia was also snapped at a bar in Las Vegas. “Actually, I don’t mind what TMZ is doing here,” Garcia posted in response, adding that he was visiting his father. “Like I said a few days ago, Speaker Mike Johnson should have never sent us all home.”
TMZ also snared Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who infamously took a trip to Cancun in 2021 while his constituents endured a historic cold spell and was sightseeing in Greece when devastating floods killed more than 100 people in 2025.
He was photographed at Fort Lauderdale airport on Tuesday.
