Texas Congressman Rants About Bureaucracy Ruining His Barbecue Ribs Cookout

Which state's representatives would be most likely to rant on the House floor about the unjustness of barbecue ribs regulations? Why, Texas, of course.

Last week, House Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) made a rambling speech about the misplaced priorities of federal agencies. To illustrate his point, he spoke about the time seven years ago when he was forbidden by federal agencies to cook barbecue ribs on the balcony of his office in Washington, D.C.'s Rayburn Building. Gohmert said that though most members of Congress and major media outlets looked forward to his cooking tradition, the Architect of the Capitol, who oversees government buildings on Capitol Hill, worried that it was a fire hazard.

As a solution, Gohmert took it upon himself to borrow the balcony attached to the office of Rep. Fred Upton's (R-Mich.), which apparently didn't violate the fire safety code. 

The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican Whip Steve Scalise have stepped in to overrule the Architect's ban.