Count several members of Congress among the many fans mourning the death of music icon Whitney Houston.

According to police, the record-smashing “I Will Always Love You” singer was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on Saturday. Houston, 48, had openly battled drug addiction for years.

Following the news of her death, posts devoted to the fallen entertainer poured in on Twitter. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) tweeted a link to a video of the entertainer’s 1991 rendition of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, writing, “R.I.P. Whitney Houston.”

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) fondly remembered the soulful legend, tweeting, “Prayers for Whitney Houston, inspired so many [with] her gift of song.”

Sen. Robert Menendez also honored his state’s hometown star . The New Jersey Democrat wrote on the micro-blogging site, “New Jersey will never forget our very own Whitney Houston whose talent and gifts made an everlasting impact on Newark, NJ and the world.”

On her website, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) released a statement saying, “Whitney Houston inspired me with her voice and her spirit, and she brought so much joy to the entire world.”

“Our generation has lost one of its most beautiful and prolific voices. Whitney Houston will be missed by everyone whose life her music touched,” wrote Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) on Twitter. 

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) posted in a Sunday message, “Deeply saddened by the loss of Whitney Houston — an iconic talent. Let’s celebrate her life and many contributions to music [and] film.”

Greg Beckwith and Eryn Dion contributed to this report. 

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SPOTTED: Former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) trying his hand at the steel washboard with a Zydeco band at a Mardi Gras bash held last week by the Louisiana delegation. 

Although our spy was able to snap a pic, they couldn’t tell if Breaux’s efforts on the squeaky clean musical instrument garnered him any beads from partygoers.

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Rep. David Schweikert’s boots might be made for walking, but they’re also made for doing battle with rattlesnakes.

ITK spotted the Arizona Republican wearing a pair of black cowboy-style boots last week, during a relatively warm Washington winter.

When we inquired whether it might be too toasty for the classic Western wear, Schweikert replied, “My problem is almost all my suits are cut to cowboy boots. I’m from Scottsdale, it’s the uniform.”

The congressman went on to explain why his shoe choice is a necessity, saying with a smile, “I also live out in the middle of the desert, so if you step outside my front door, you’re just as likely to run into a javelina or a rattlesnake as a cactus.”

For those unfamiliar with javelinas, they’re hoofed mammals that sort of resemble pigs on drugs.

But they’re not the only wild creatures that Schweikert is strapping on boots to protect himself from. The lawmaker has had his share of run-ins with a certain prickly cactus: “If you’ve ever stepped on a jumping cholla, you’ll understand why you want boots.”

Adding that the footwear is what he’s worn his whole life, Schweikert says he has no plans on conforming to Capitol Hill’s traditional laced-up dress shoe style: “If you ever catch me in Gucci loafers, you know my next election isn’t going to go well!”

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It’s been called the “most fabulous form of protest,” but according to one medical expert, the potential dangers of “glitter bombing” are far from marvelous.

In an increasingly popular form of protest, activists are throwing glitter on unsuspecting targets. Dubbed “glitter bombing,” the sparkly stuff is often meant to protest a politician’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

In the past month, Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul have all been hit with the shimmery specs.

But Dr. Stephen Glasser, an optometrist in downtown Washington, tells ITK that while it may seem harmless, glitter bombs can cause real damage: “If it gets into the eyes, the best scenario is it can irritate, it can scratch. Worst scenario is it can actually create a cut. As the person blinks, it moves the glitter across the eye and can actually scratch the cornea.” Although not likely, it can even cause a potential loss of sight.

That’s almost what happened to one of Glasser’s patients, who was out at a New Year’s Eve soiree where partygoers were tossing glitter around: “It literally scratched not the cornea, but the white of the eye…since [glitter isn’t] exactly what you’d call sterile, there’s not only a chance of a scratch but giving the person an infection.”

And it’s not just the eyes that glitter bomb victims have to worry about.

“If the person’s breathing in, it can be drawn up into the nose and into the sinuses and cause one hell of an infection that’s difficult to get rid of because it’s literally an object…that highly irritates the tissue,” says the doctor.

In a T.V. interview last summer, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee called glitter bombing “an assault.” The ex Arkansas governor added the glitter-throwing activists “ought to be arrested.”

Glasser, who has practiced in D.C. for more than 30 years, uses similar language in describing the medical impact: “Leaving politics out of this completely…it’s like throwing a custard pie in their face. You’re not going to blind them with it. But with this type of metallic, sharp-edged material, one could almost consider it an assault.”

While Glasser says with a chuckle that best type of protection against glitter bombs would be to wear sunglasses, goggles, or even a helmet — call us crazy, but we don’t see that happening for politicians anytime soon— he maintains that getting glitter in your eye is no laughing matter, saying it would “stop that individual from performing their daily duties. Between the pain and the changes to their vision, it would certainly stop them from doing their work properly.”

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