Oh, they're eating at the meal! It's just that they get the center trim of the steak, and we're left with the bones and fat. They're getting the potatoes and we're getting the peelings. They're getting the lettuce leaves and tomatoes, we're getting the lettuce core and tomato stems.
See, we're eating at the same table, it's just that Congress is eating the best of the best, and we get the scraps usually thrown away.