A prominently displayed plea for tightly zipped lips has got tongues wagging in Cannon.  

The campaign to dial things down a bit is the brainchild of newly displaced members of the House Budget Committee’s minority staff; the congressional aides recently got uprooted from the basement of Cannon by ongoing renovation efforts.  

The migration from secluded workspace to heavily trafficked juncture has proven more jarring than expected — hence the oversized request (“Quiet Please! Offices at Work,” the announcement reads) for passersby to show a little respect while milling about outside.  

“It is a temporary sign during our transition to the first floor, as the stairwell opposite the new space is an unusually noisy gathering place,” a Budget Committee aide told HOH.  

One House staffer bristled at the visual pollution, chiding the new arrivals for making much ado about nothing. “I guess when Democrat staffers are drafting budgets that raise taxes and never balance, you need all the quiet you can get,” the tipster groused.  

That corner of the building must be quite the echo chamber. Maintenance personnel have already affixed not one, but two placards calling for the use of inside voices along the same corridor.  

Perhaps the surround sound approach will finally squelch all the static.  

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