Comprehension: When The House Becomes a Home

Life as a US Congressman isn't all perks. Some lawmakers are now sleeping in their offices in Washington, to save money, and to set an example of cost-cutting.
Watch the video and answer the questions below. Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. Tim Walberg prefers sleeping in his office to sleeping at home.

  a. True

  b. False

2. Congressman Tim Walberg hasn’t been working very long on Capitol Hill.

  a. True

  b. False

3. Congress is less noisy, at night, than the rest of Washington.

  a. True

  b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:  

For Congressman Tim Walberg, sleeping on the job isn't always a bad thing. Every night, he rolls out his air mattress and makes his bed, on his office floor.
 "The only thing better about my bed at home is my wife is in it with me."
Walberg has worked in Washington for years, and all of his time in the city is spent on Capitol Hill.  "This is important because of the espresso maker; I have to have my double espresso in the morning"
From espresso machine...to breakfast cereal...and even a small closet …
"Wardrobe of all the clothes that I need." …everything is in his office, everything, except a shower.
 "It forces me every morning to get up and go to the congressional gym, which is in the basement of this building"
Down the hall, Congressman Paul Gosar has his makeshift kitchen, including a small fridge.  "Buckwheat pancakes!" Gosar and Walberg aren't the only ones who've turned the House into their home. Some 50 Congressmen, mostly Republicans, sleep in their offices every night, saving precious money, and precious time.
"They know where I’m at. I’m getting my work done. So I spend a lot of time reading, dialoguing, making sure that we've got issues for the day and working on behalf of our constituents back home."
But it's not all about the savings. Walberg says he was elected to the House by the people, for the people.
"I am not a king or a prince or a lord and the people who sent me here are the people I serve and I don't ever want to get to a point where I believe that because I’m here, I am better than them"
But sleeping at work also has its perks. The halls are bustling during the day but, when night falls, Congress is among the quietest, and safest, places in Washington
 
Answers:
1. b
2. b
3. a

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