Cavuto: What are lawmakers, president doing?

Neil reacts to grandstanding in Washington

What are they doing?

When we cut to these shots of congressmen and senators and even the president, railing to the TV cameras about how angry they are about this shutdown.

Someone, anyone, tell me what they're doing about this shutdown.

It hit me the other night when I was covering all this unfolding live on FBN, which if you don't get you should demand and after you hear this, you should be furious.

It's 8PM.

That pointless meeting at the White House between the president and congressional leaders had long wrapped up.

And despite them all being cooped up in the same room for more than an hour and a half, we learn later, nothing, nothing was achieved.

Nothing got done.

Then they all trotted out, and each essentially said, they were done.

After calling each other names, they were calling it a night.

There'd be no more business to discuss that night, actually technically, pretty much any night this week

But then I'm watching the House floor, and thinking, apparently the troops didn't get the message because congressmen were still yapping hours after their leaders all but said lights out.

But it wasn't lights out these guys were just getting started.

Speaking in a chamber that was all but empty.

I'm not kidding you, Elvis hadn't only left the building; his people had left the building, all his fans had left the building, even the janitors had left the building. There was no one in the building save a few congressmen who just felt compelled to rant.

Some even debate.

Some even use charts.

As if anyone was watching. As if anyone cared.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and said so myself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Neil Cavuto: What are they doing on the floor right now if business is complete? And there's no negotiating being done. Who are these guys? What are they talking about on the floor? There's nothing to be done.

Rep. John Carter, R.-TEXAS: Those are called special orders. They happen every night. Sometimes there's a few people on the floor. Most of the time there are not very many. It's an opportunity to have debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

But they're not debating anyone. So they went on and on. Hour after hour. Oblivious to the hour.

I even asked one of their colleagues what this grandstanding was all about? To what end?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Cavuto: You're debating with the chair. Right? I mean...

Carter: Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. It's been going on for a lot longer than I've been here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

It would be funny if it weren't so sad.

Rome is burning.

These guys are fiddling.

A president is blaming.

And not a one of them is doing.

Just yapping.

To themselves.

Like they mattered.

Like they cared.

You'd think that if they're not going to do anything in a shutdown the least they could do is shut up.