Democratic Senators finally came together to pass the Inflation Reduction Act on Sunday, but it was everything that happened outside of the vote in the Senate Chambers that “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert dove into during Monday’s monologue.
Before Colbert got to the now infamous photo of Senator Bernie Sanders on the Capitol steps, he poked fun at the way Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer phrased his remarks following passing of the act.
“Schumer gave a press conference following the vote and he had this to say over the victory,” Colbert said, teeing up the Schumer clip.
“As you know, it has been a long, tough and winding road,” Schumer told the press.
So, of course, Colbert noted the Beatle-ness of the New York Senator’s remark.
“Ah yes, the long, tough and winding road. It’s everyone’s favorite Beatle song next to ‘A Hard Day’s Very Difficult Nighttime,’” the “Late Show” host said to laughs.
He also had fun ribbing the Senator for a comment Schumer made about his attire.
“OK, does anyone notice anything? This is my lucky blue suit,” Schumer said in another clip the “Late Show” host played. “I brought it in yesterday morning, but didn’t want to jinx it and wear it. … But I wear it on good luck days and I had a feeling I’d be wearing it.”
“Senator, I’m pretty sure the ‘lucky’ doesn’t count if you put it on after you win,” Colbert joked. “‘I got the job and it’s all thanks to my lucky socks – which I’m gonna go buy right now.’”
Switching gears, Colbert noted Bernie Sanders seemed “less than thrilled” by negotiations on the day of the bill’s passage.
“Bernie tried reintroducing a lot of progressive ideas that Joe Manchin removed from the bill, but all of his efforts failed, which might be why he was later photographed sitting on the Capitol steps like this,” Colbert said, showing a photo from the Los Angeles Times of Sanders – one which went viral.
“Oh, no. We’ve broken Bernie,” Colbert said, reacting to the picture.
“He looks like the depressed legislation from Schoolhouse Rock. ‘I’m just a bill. I’m only a bill and I’m sitting here waiting for soup,’” Colbert said in his Bernie voice.
You can watch Colbert’s full monologue, where he also tackles the photos of ripped-up documents in Trump’s toilet, and the judgment against Alex Jones, in the video above.