Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Maxine Waters

Democrat on Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act 2026-07-14

201 words · 9 sentences · 10 clauses

Statement grade

B+

Average 82 / 100

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

Procedure 8%Claims 73%Positioning 7%Reasoning 12%

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

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 8 wordsI yield myself the balance of my time.Procedure Claims · 32 wordsAs I conclude, I will point out that when our committee held a hearing last year, none of the majority’s witnesses said a single positive thing about this bill in their testimony.¹Off point Positioning · 14 wordsThat is probably because there is nothing positive to say about this harmful bill.Positioning Claims · 41 wordsNow, using merchant category codes for firearm retailers won’t solve this problem, not even close. The codes themselves don’t identify what is purchased, ²but it might have triggered a flag for unusual and suspicious purchases that get reported to law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, Claims · 17 wordsthat might save 1 life or 10 lives or 100 lives or 1,000 lives or 10,000 lives. Reasoning · 24 wordsEven if it is a fraction of the 416,000 who have died from gun violence over the past decade, wouldn’t it be worth it?³No reason given Mr. Speaker, Claims · 57 wordsthe audacity of the opposite side of the aisle to tell States they cannot use these merchant codes, any State in the United States of America, even those who started in some way using these codes, they are now saying they want a law that would preempt your State from being able to use the merchant codes.⁴ Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 8 wordsI yield back the balance of my time.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 84

3 of 5 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 “I yield myself the balance of my time.”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 “That is probably because there is nothing positive to say about this harmful bill.”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 “I yield back the balance of my time.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 82

1 of 5 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “As I conclude, I will point out that when our committee held a hearing last year, none of the majority’s witnesses said a single positive thing about this bill in their testimony.”A political point about hearing witnesses rather than anything about the bill’s provisions or merits.

Reasoning · 60

1 of 5 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.

A conclusion stated with no reason given for it.What the tags mean “Even if it is a fraction of the 416,000 who have died from gun violence over the past decade, wouldn’t it be worth it?”c9 and c10 are rhetorical escalation and a rhetorical question; no supporting reason remains after striking the rhetoric.

Conclusions found · 2

Conclusion“Now, using merchant category codes for firearm retailers won’t solve this problem, not even close.”

Because“The codes themselves don’t identify what is purchased,”

Reason given
Conclusion“Even if it is a fraction of the 416,000 who have died from gun violence over the past decade, wouldn’t it be worth it?”

BecauseNo reason given

No 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 5 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 · 4

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“when our committee held a hearing last year, none of the majority’s witnesses said a single positive thing about this bill in their testimony”At the committee hearing held in 2025 on the Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act, none of the majority’s witnesses testified positively about the bill.search
2“The codes themselves don’t identify what is purchased”Merchant category codes identify the retailer’s category but do not identify what specific item is purchased.search
3“416,000 who have died from gun violence over the past decade”About 416,000 people died from gun violence in the United States over the ten years before 2026.search
4“they want a law that would preempt your State from being able to use the merchant codes”The bill would preempt states from using merchant category codes distinguishing firearms retailers.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15