Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Mark DeSaulnier

Democrat on Abuse of Taxpayer Funds 2026-09-03

193 words · 11 sentences · 15 clauses

Statement grade

A–

Average 86 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Claims 66%Procedure 19%Positioning 15%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Claims · 28 wordsI rise today to express my continued outrage over this administration’s abuse of taxpayer funds at the very time that Americans are struggling to pay their own bills. Procedure · 16 wordsHere are just a few examples of this administration taking money, stealing money from Americans’ pocketbooks: ProcedureClaims · 100 wordsDuring the President’s first term, he charged Secret Service 300 percent or more above the allowable rates to stay at his hotels while on duty.¹ On his watch, the Department of Homeland Security spent 70 million taxpayer dollars on a luxury jet, ²and the President is converting a gifted Qatar Boeing 747 to use as Air Force One and plans to keep the plane after he leaves office for his personal use.³ A yet unknown amount of money has been spent renaming Federal buildings and putting the President’s name and face on banners, money, park passes, passports, visas, and more. Positioning · 29 wordsThis is not patriotism, my colleagues. It is vanity. It is corruption, and we should all be outraged. The silence by my Republican colleagues on this issue is deafening.Positioning Procedure · 20 wordsThe SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kennedy of Utah). Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 64

9 of 9 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Here are just a few examples of this administration taking money, stealing money from Americans’ pocketbooks:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “This is not patriotism, my colleagues.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “It is vanity.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “It is corruption,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and we should all be outraged.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “The silence by my Republican colleagues on this issue is deafening.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Kennedy of Utah).”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Reasoning · 93

0 of 9 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

Nothing lost points.

Conclusions found · 2

Conclusion“It is vanity.”

Because“A yet unknown amount of money has been spent renaming Federal buildings and putting the President’s name and face on banners, money, park passes, passports, visas,”

Reason given
Conclusion“It is corruption,”

Because“During the President’s first term, he charged Secret Service 300 percent or more above the allowable rates to stay at his hotels while on duty.”

“On his watch, the Department of Homeland Security spent 70 million taxpayer dollars on a luxury jet,”

“and the President is converting a gifted Qatar Boeing 747 to use as Air Force One and plans to keep the plane after he leaves office for his personal use.”

Reason given

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 100

0 of 9 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 3

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“he charged Secret Service 300 percent or more above the allowable rates to stay at his hotels”During the President’s first term, the Secret Service was charged 300 percent or more above allowable government rates to stay at his hotels.search
2“the Department of Homeland Security spent 70 million taxpayer dollars on a luxury jet”The Department of Homeland Security spent $70 million in taxpayer dollars on a luxury jet.search
3“the President is converting a gifted Qatar Boeing 747 to use as Air Force One”The President is converting a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar for use as Air Force One.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-16