Los Angeles, CA – As Washington braced for a full federal shutdown last week, Rep. Mikie Sherrill was apparently three time zones away — seated in a Los Angeles podcast studio.
The New Jersey Democrat appeared on the Zach Sang Show, a progressive-leaning program produced out of a Hollywood studio, in an interview that aired October 1.
During that interview, Sherrill said it’s important that constituents know she won’t do “jerky asshole things like the president,” while she skipped crucial moments at her job as a congresswoman who was supposed to be representing her constituents.
In the video, Sherrill and host Zach Sang discussed politics, education, and of course, President Donald Trump, with Sherrill taking several direct swipes at the former administration.
The footage shows Sherrill seated in a studio consistent with the Zach Sang Show’s Los Angeles set, even as Congress was days away from a shutdown deadline that threatened federal worker pay and essential services.
She was thousands of miles away from the U.S. Capitol and Congress, where she was supposed to be, as Democrats and Republicans were trying to avoid a shutdown.
She was more concerned about her future political career in New Jersey, where she moved more than a decade ago from her native Virginia.
Sang opens the interview calling Sherrill “his congresswoman,” prompting her to note that he “moved to Los Angeles.” Sang replies that he splits time between coasts but claims New Jersey as his primary residence. Sherrill laughs and responds, “I love it.”
Throughout the conversation, Sherrill criticizes Trump’s influence on the GOP, accuses House leadership of being swayed by Big Tech, and claims Republicans “passed huge Medicaid cuts imperiling senior care.” She also claims the Trump administration created an “every man for himself” mentality.
In another segment, Sherrill alleges that Rep. Steve Scalise blocked the Kids Online Safety Act “because Big Tech paid him,” and argues that state power has eroded under “an executive branch willing to do whatever the heck he wants.”
Her remarks also touch on education policy, including praise for universal pre-K and mental health programs, and criticism of groups like Moms for Liberty, which she calls “a sign of a problem in society.”
The interview’s timing has raised eyebrows among voters back in her adopted state, New Jersey, noting Sherrill’s presence in California while the federal government was hours from closing its doors.
