A House committee hearing Wednesday erupted into chaos when Rep. Maxwell Frost (D‑Fla.) and Rep. Clay Higgins (R‑La.) engaged in a shouting match so heated that Frost accused Higgins of being a “lapdog” for President Donald Trump, forcing the panel to pause proceedings.
The confrontation began midway through a session debating law-enforcement powers and public safety. Higgins, who is sponsoring a bill expanding police ability to pursue fleeing suspects, was asked by Frost why he had not called up the National Guard in his state, as he had done in the capital.
"Louisiana is the state with the second highest rate of death in this nation. You'a re more likely to be shot standing on a random street in your state than you are in Washington D.C.," Frost said.
Later in the back-and-forth, Frost unleashed his barb directly at Higgins, calling him a "lap dog to the president."
“You're here because you're lap dogs to the president of the United States," he said.
Reacting to the comments, Higgins demanded his words be expunged.
“Words taken down, Mr. Chairman. My colleague just called me a lap dog of the president of the United States. I move for his words to be taken down.”
As the chairman weighed Higgins's motion, members from both sides exchanged shouts, effectively suspending the hearing’s business.
Following the outburst, the chair insisted on strict decorum, calling for calm and refocusing members on the oversight agenda. But the disruption had already shifted the tone of the session, leaving officials scrambling to restore order.
Meanwhile, House Republicans on Wednesday advanced a package of bills targeting Washington, D.C.’s criminal justice system and limiting the city’s self-rule. This legislative push coincides with the expiration of Trump’s temporary federal control over D.C.’s police department, granted under emergency authority.
Even as Congress declined to extend that federal oversight, limited to 30 days without congressional approval, these bills signal Republican efforts to continue the president’s agenda in the capital city.
Watch the video of the exchange below, or by clicking this link.
