Several members of Congress jumped into their cars and set off on hourslong road trips to make it to Washington by Wednesday ahead of an expected vote on President Trump’s domestic policy bill, after severe weather snarled air travel.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain had forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights to Washington-area airports, including Reagan National, according to the aviation tracker FlightAware. That left some members of the House, both yeas and nays on the bill, with no option but to drive.
Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina and a vocal supporter of Mr. Trump, piled into a van with her staff for an overnight drive to Washington.
“The reason I’m on the road is because my flights were canceled to D.C. and I didn’t want to take any chances,” Ms. Mace said, clad in pink pajamas, during a livestream on X from the van. As she held her dog, she asked viewers to send in recommendations for food stops on the way to Washington.
Ms. Mace also responded to questions about the bill, which aims to cut taxes as well as social safety net programs. She said she had been disappointed with some of the amendments made in the Senate, which narrowly passed its version on Tuesday.
Representative Russell Fry, another Republican from South Carolina, said he would not take any chances after flights were canceled because of the severe weather.
“The moment is too important to sit around and wait at an airport,” Mr. Fry said in a video from his vehicle after he had set off. He added that he would drive all the way through to Washington from Myrtle Beach, S.C., and posted photos of state border signs as he crossed into North Carolina and Virginia.
Mr. Trump has tasked Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, to pass his signature policy bill by Friday, the Fourth of July. But resistance is expected in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson leads a narrow majority and can only afford three Republican defections if all members are present and voting.
“Hopefully, we’re voting on this by tomorrow or Thursday at latest, depending on the weather delays and travel and all the rest. That’s the wild card that we can’t control,” Mr. Johnson said on Fox News on Tuesday night.
Some of the bill’s opponents were also refusing to let the weather stop them from voting no.
After his flight was canceled, Representative Chris Deluzio, Democrat of Pennsylvania, said he decided to carpool to Washington with Representative Derek Tran, Democrat of California, who was stranded at an airport in Pittsburgh.
“Nothing brings me more joy than sharing this car ride with you, Chris, all the way to Washington D.C., because we need to stop this big, ugly Republican bill,” Mr. Tran said in a video posted by Mr. Deluzio on X. The drive was expected to take more than four hours, Mr. Tran added.
Representative Mark Pocan, Democrat of Wisconsin, posted a video from the airport in Madison, Wis., after his flight was canceled because of thunderstorms. Mr. Pocan said he would drive to Chicago to try to get a flight to Washington early Wednesday morning.
“This is part of the glamorous life of Congress, I guess,” Mr. Pocan said. “Going to get back though to vote no, for sure.”
Robert Jimison and Michael Gold contributed reporting.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
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