‘Dads of Congress’ turn Capitol into day care

Some male members of the US House of Representatives are pulling their weight this week as the chaotic vote for House Speaker has dragged for days. Democrats Jimmy Gomez of California and Joaquin Castro of Texas were among the members of Congress who brought their babies with them to a swearing-in ceremony for the 118th Congress that has yet to materialise.
And since Tuesday, they’ve been candid about turning parts of the Capitol building into makeshift child-care rooms for their infant children, documenting bottle feeds, diaper changes and stroller walks. Salud Carbajal, a Democrat from California, called the Democratic cloak room “a great spot for Congress-dads” to share advice when he posted a photo of Castro and Gomez with their children.
Castro’s wife and two other children joined him for Tuesday’s events, but he and Anna Valentina flew solo for part of Wednesday. The eight-month-old did well for the most part, Castro said, but that he did have to change her on a bathroom floor at one point. He’s going to lobby for Congress to install baby-changing tables in the mens’ rooms, he said. Gomez tweeted that the rest of his family went home on Thursday. “Hodge & I are just gonna figure this out like the rest of the working parents in America,” he wrote.