Word on the Hill: Ready to Run

By Alex Gangitano

Posted March 30, 2017 at 5:00am

The Capitol Hill Competition is fast approaching.

Part of the larger Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run on April 2, it awards the fastest House or Senate congressional office with the Capitol Cup to display for a year.

The competition’s sponsors, the Congressional Federal Credit Union and the United States Senate Federal Credit Union, are hosting an event today where runners can pick up their packets.

From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the House Visitor’s Center, Room 201AB, runners and members of the media are welcome to learn about and prepare for the race.

Social events happening today …

Introductory reception for the Congressional Taiwan Caucus and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2044. RSVP here.

Cherokee Days Reception, 6 p.m. at the National Museum of the American Indian at the corner of Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. RSVP here.

One week until Dining Out for Life Day

Food & Friends is encouraging Washingtonians to make reservations and plans to eat out on April 6 for its annual Dining Out for Life day. Restaurants in the D.C. area have signed on to give between 25 percent and 110 percent of their proceeds to Food & Friends, a nonprofit that brings food and nutrition counseling to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses. Check out the participating restaurants and make your reservation.

Alzheimer’s prevention advocates on the Hill

The Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy Forum 2017 was Wednesday, so you might have seen people walking around the Capitol wearing purple sashes. They held meetings with members all day. Longtime Alzheimer’s prevention and care advocate and journalist Maria Shriver testified at a Senate Aging Committee hearing on “The Arch of Alzheimer’s: From Preventing Cognitive Decline in Americans to Assuring Quality Care for those Living with the Disease.”

Thank you @SenThomTillis for meeting with us. #alzimpact #ENDALZ pic.twitter.com/m9ulM0Cr2S

— Charlotte Rosenberg (@charlotterosenb) March 29, 2017

Overheard on the Hill

“I think we were excited to see the one-third who did.”— White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer when asked if President Donald Trump was disappointed that two-thirds of Senate Democrats skipped a White House reception on Tuesday night.“Thank you, everyone, for being here as we warm up the crowd for the Burr-Warner spectacular.”— Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., opening a news conference right before a Senate Intelligence Committee leaders’ scheduled news conference in the same room.“If we play Tiddlywinks, yeah, it will hurt us.”— Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., on depressed GOP turnout in 2018 if Republicans don’t get a health care overhaul done.“I might want that ice cream sundae with all the fixings on it, too, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get it.”— Griffith, after saying he wants to do a health care overhaul before a tax code rewrite.