Capitol Lens | The eyes have it

Heard on the Hill

Capitol Lens | The eyes have it

70 years of lawmakers reading Roll Call

New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer reads Roll Call on March 12, 2016, as he arrives for a policy luncheon in the Capitol. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

By Chris Hale

Posted June 18, 2025 at 7:30am

Of course, 70 years of Roll Call couldn’t have happened without our core audience — members of Congress — actually reading it.

So here are just a few of the many archival photos of lawmakers perusing the pages of Roll Call throughout the years.

Pennsylvania Rep. Joseph M. McDade peruses an issue in June 1992. peruses an issue in June 1992. (CQ Roll Call archives)

New York Rep. Anthony Weiner reads the May 24, 2011, edition on the House floor before a joint address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Tom Williams/Roll Call)

Colorado Sen. Tim Wirth reads an issue in 1991. (CQ Roll Call archives)

Reporters in the Capitol read the Nov. 6, 2008, edition. (CQ Roll Call archives)

New York Rep. Eliot L. Engel reads Roll Call while waiting for President Barack Obama to deliver his State of the Union address on Jan. 27, 2009. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole reads Stuart Rothenberg’s column during a House Appropriations markup on July 13, 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Wisconsin Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner cites Roll Call during an April 3, 2019, House Judiciary hearing. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

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