House families dodge bullet, may get bigger room

With some congressional Republicans already stewing over the Democrats’ new five-day workweek and its impact on their families, rumors are now flying over what will become of the House “family room,” where congressional spouses and kids sometimes cool their heels during votes or special events. At first, the room was said to be on the chopping block. Now, however, sources say Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., may want to expand the room.

Room H-324 in the Capitol, also known as the “Tip” O’Neill Room, was made into a family room at the behest of then-Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., in the 104th Congress. The room was named in honor of O’Neill because of the family-friendly schedules he implemented during his reign as speaker.

The two-level space, just across the hall from the House Gallery, houses plenty of chairs, tables, couches and desks, a kitchen, library and kids’ play area. “We have used it as a place to crash, waiting on late votes, to celebrate birthdays during votes, bipartisan family receptions before swearing in and the State of the Union, baby showers and small luncheons,” said Vicki Tiahrt, wife of Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., and a member of the committee that oversees the room.

Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., said the members’ Bible study group meets there every Wednesday.

Tiahrt and other spouses had told Yeas & Nays they heard that incoming Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., had his sights on the room to make way for more offices. Hoyer’s current offices are adjacent to the Family Room, but he’s going to move down one floor to the traditional majority leader’s office, his spokeswoman said. She said she knew of no plans to do away with the family room.

Pelosi’s staff would not comment, but sources say the room may be slated for an expansion.

Kingston, who voiced some of the loudest complaints against the new calendar, said that wouldn’t make much sense.

“Putting another room in the U.S. Capitol for families is pretty silly,” he said. “Why do you need it? Because your parents are working downstairs. It’s generally utilized by people whose families are in Washington.

“The most helpful thing to do would be to recognize that it’s a two-part job and part of it is outside Washington.”

Did journalists get Scrooged on the WH invite list?

Were some reporters on the White House’s naughty list this year?

For many journalists, the annual White House Holiday party (which took place Wednesday night) is something to look forward to and a chance to eat, drink and be merry in the house they spend all year covering.

It’s also one of the hardest tickets in town to get, and this year was no exception. Sources tell Yeas & Nays there were lots of complaints about the invite list, causing some serious headaches at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The moaners complained that some individuals who haven’t worked at the White House for years got invites, while people who work at the White House full-time went empty-handed.

The invites are sent by the office of first lady Laura Bush and, ultimately, the White House did what it tries so hard never to do: Open up the list. To quell the complaints and redress grievances, they added roughly 400 names to the list as the event approached.

Wednesday’s guests didn’t have the run of the place: They were confined to the East Room, the State Dining Room and a room set aside for photos, where the president and Laura grip and grin for photos all night.

A call to the first lady’s press office was not returned by press time.

Brought to you by Kazakhstan’s finest vodka

Borat wasn’t on the list, but at least one product of Kazakhstan managed to gain access to Vice President Dick Cheney’s holiday party on Tuesday night at his Massachusetts Avenue residence.

Snow Queen vodka, a product of the central Asian country, was the “official liquor donor” at the 400-strong party of high-powered pols and their staffers. Among those on the list who braved the “blinding” lights on Mass Ave. and the long security procedure to rub elbows with the Veep: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Afghan Ambassador Said Jawad, Jordanian Ambassador Karim Kawar, former Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rima Al-Sabah, wife of the Kuwaiti ambassador.

“People were amazed at the cheap decor (think IKEA),” writes our source, but they were amazed at the “fabulous artwork throughout (on loan, one would assume).”

Despite the free-flowing vodka, no one in the “stuffy” crowd “lost their composure,” we hear.

Jolie’s building power

Angelina Jolie can shut down not only marriages, but buildings as well. The superstar is expected in town today to campaign on behalf of malaria prevention and, in anticipation of her visit, half of the National Geographic’s building will be shut down for security purposes and Jolie’s appearance is closed to the public. National Geographic employees eager for a day off just hope it’s their half.

Women interested in Congress: Move to where the money is

What’s the formula for getting elected to Congress as a woman? For starters, move to the right district. That includes ones with high incomes and high levels of education. Then throw in some diversity and — perhaps surprisingly — low numbers of households with school-age children.

This formula is part of Barbara Palmer’s “Index of Woman Friendliness,” a tool that predicts which districts are most likely to elect women. The University of Maine professor spoke yesterday at a joint discussion with Women in Government Relations and Women Under Forty PAC — politically charged, diet soda-drinking groups.

Palmer discussed her latest book, “Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling,” which discussed how the factors of incumbency, redistricting and raising a family work against women in elected office.

“It just blows my mind,” she said, that in the 21st century, the world has 85 countries that elect more women to legislative bodies than the United States.

Janelle Zara contributed to this page.