Phone lines in the Capitol jammed once again just days after a similar technical situation unfolded earlier this week.
HuffPost's Ryan Grim reports that House staffers received the following email on Friday morning:
From: Call Center
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2011 11:21 AM
To: System Administrators, All
Subject: System Alert - House Telephone Circuits Near Capacity
Due to the high volume of external calls, House telephone circuits serving 202-225-XXXX phone numbers are near capacity resulting in outside callers occasionally getting busy signals. Outbound calls are unaffected.
During this time offices may wish to provide district office staff and key contacts with an alternate 202-226-XXXX extension, if available, until call volumes subside.
In delivering a statement on contentious negotiations to raise the debt ceiling on Friday, President Barack Obama urged Americans to "keep the pressure on Washington" to resolve the fiscal dispute.
"If you want to see a bipartisan compromise, a bill that can pass both houses of Congress and that I can sign, let your members of Congress know," he said. "Make a phone call. Send an email. Tweet. Keep the pressure on Washington, and we can get past this."
Shortly after finishing his remarks, the president wrote on Twitter, "The time for putting party first is over. If you want to see a bipartisan #compromise, let Congress know. Call. Email. Tweet. —BO."
Click here for more on the latest developments to unfold in the debt ceiling debate.