From restrictions on drinks — only water or milk — to a ban on all food except candy, the Senate’s arcane rules for what is allowed in the chamber are hitting lawmakers hard now they are trapped there all day for President Trump’s impeachment trial.
The quirky rules, grounded in tradition dating to the earliest days of the institution, are not typically a problem for the senators who come and go as they please and congregate only for brief voting sessions.
During the trial, however, they are required to attend hours of arguments, becoming virtual prisoners of their high office.
The limited selection of beverages prompted reporters to quiz them about their preference: water or milk. And if water, would it include lemon?
Under Senate rules, lemon water is allowed.
The focus on food and beverages brought smiles to senators’ faces during breaks from the lengthy proceedings.
“Just water. Just tap water is fine with me,” Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, told reporters.
Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, used the opportunity to take a jab at House impeachment manager Rep. Adam B. Schiff, who has accused Mr. Trump of colluding with Russians to win the 2016 election and now attempting to use help from Ukraine in the 2020 election — a main focus of his argument during the impeachment trial Wednesday.
“It’s true, I had some milk with my chocolate,” Mr. Cotton tweeted. “I guess I could’ve added vodka & had a White Russian (minus the Kahlua). But @RepAdamSchiff probably would’ve accused me of collusion.”
Milk made it onto the limited Senate menu in 1966 when Sen. Everett Dirksen, Illinois Republican, requested it from a Senate page with the stipulation that drinking milk did not violate the rules.
The presiding chair noted the rules did not prohibit milk, thus giving the senators an option other than water to chug, according to Senate records.
Sen. Kevin Cramer said the rules are tough for coffee drinkers.
“I drink coffee from the minute I wake up until bedtime,” the North Dakota Republican said. “So my biggest challenge is to drink enough coffee to stay awake, but not drink so much that I, you know, that I’m, ah, uncomfortable in the chamber.”
Mr. Cramer could follow in Dirksen’s footsteps and challenge whether coffee is allowed, putting presiding officer Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on the spot to make a ruling.
The senators get a 30-minute break for dinner during the impeachment trial, which is scheduled for eight hours a day for at least six more days.
If they get hungry in the meantime, they can make their way over to the “candy desk,” which holds a variety of sweets on the Republican side of the chamber, though lawmakers are known to share with their Democratic colleagues.
Sen. Patrick Toomey, Pennsylvania Republican, has been the lawmaker tasked with keeping it full since 2015.
The sugar-fix desk was created in 1965 by Sen. George Murphy, California Republican.
It has existed since then in a desk on the GOP side near the doors most used for entering and exiting the chamber.
Some rules are new for the trial, such as a ban on electronics and a prohibition on senators speaking to each other during the proceedings.
Rules for decorum also were issued before the proceedings began, and the only time senators may stand is when Chief Justice Roberts enters and exits the chamber.
But after hours and hours of arguments, enforcement of the rules has become a bit lax, as senators have been standing at the back of the chamber to stretch their legs after hours of remaining seated.
“Members should refrain from speaking to neighboring senators while the case is being presented,” read one of the guidelines.
The restriction on talking also is in flux after three days of non-stop arguments, with senators whispering and passing notes to colleagues.
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