A California Congresswoman has stirred up quite a discussion by confirming what many Americans have long suspected: Congress resembles a high school environment.

In an intriguing revelation captured by a TMZ video, Representative Sara Jacobs from California’s 51st district candidly remarked, “Congress is basically high school,” in response to a reporter’s inquiry about the seating arrangements in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Jacobs elaborated, explaining that while there might not be officially assigned seats, an unspoken system dictates where members sit. She likened the scenario to the dynamics seen in the 2004 film “Mean Girls,” starring Lindsay Lohan.

“If you sit in the wrong spot, like literally today, I had to tell one of our new members, you can’t sit with us because he sat in a seat that was taken by somebody else,” Jacobs recounted.

When questioned about the presence of cliques within Capitol Hill, Jacobs confirmed their existence and proceeded to illustrate the layout of these informal groups.

“So, we have like, Pennsylvania Corner, which is composed of the older white moderate guys. Then there’s California row, the Congressional Black Caucus area, and the super mods who sit right in the middle, close to where the Republicans are, as a sign of their centrist stance,” Jacobs detailed.

As for herself, Jacobs identifies as a ‘floater’ or ‘butterfly’ according to her team.

‘I kind of like flit from group to group, exactly like I was in high school, actually,’ Jacobs added. 

Representative Sara Jacobs, 37, of California’s 51st district, noted that ‘Congress is basically high school’ in an interview

Representative Sara Jacobs (furthest right) is seen during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol June 16, 2021 in Washington, DC with fellow Democratic women, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (3rd L) of New York, Angie Craig of Minnesota (1st L), and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (2nd L)

The sun sets on the U.S. Capitol building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 30, 2026

TMZ posted the video on X at 10:30am on Friday morning, and it has since been viewed over 4 million times.

The Democrats’ remarks were mocked by many users on the social media platform X.

X user Eric Krehbiel commented on the post, noting that ‘she has no idea how gross this sounds to so many normal people.’

‘What in the cafeteria is this? Honestly, not even high school, that’s insulting, this is more like late elementary/middle school antics,’ added fellow X user EmptyRedoubt. 

Conservative commentator Collin Rugg shared TMZ’s video on X

X user EmptyRedoubt responded to TMZ’s video

X user Eric Krehbiel commented on the post of Sara Jacobs

X user Paul A. Szypula shares his take on the video of Rep. Jacobs

Conservative commentator Collin Rugg shared TMZ’s video, chiming in ‘your country is run by theater kids.’ 

Fellow X user Paul A. Szypula added, ‘I’d honestly say they’re worse than theater kids. At least theater can be entertaining and you have a choice in paying for it. Here you’re forced to pay for these imbeciles who almost all suck at their jobs.’

Public opinion data from the Economist/YouGov poll showed Congress at 17 percent approval during the last poll published on January 25, 2026, while Ballotpedia’s average of top national polls showed congressional approval at 26 percent just two days ago on February 6, 2026.