Discussion · House of Representatives
James P. McGovern Democrat
“Vote no on this rule. Republicans control Congress, but they are wasting time arguing and ignoring the high cost of living. Changing the clocks or passing voter rules will not lower the cost of rent, food, or healthcare. If Democrats were in charge, we would focus on making life more affordable for regular people.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this debate has made one thing very clear. Republicans are not the victims of this chaos. They are the perpetrators of this chaos. There is only one party that controls this floor and all three branches of government. Republicans set the agenda. Republicans write these awful rules. Republicans control the schedule, and Republicans have chosen to spend week after week fighting with one another while regular working people are getting squeezed. News flash to my Republican colleagues: The American people know the difference between working and pretending to work. They know that passing the same voter suppression bill again and again will not lower their rent. They know that stapling the SAVE Act onto yet another piece of legislation will not bring down the price of groceries. They know that threatening the VFW will not improve veterans’ care. They know that changing or not changing the clocks will not change what is in their bank account. Mr. Speaker, if Democrats were in the majority, we would begin every day with one simple question: How do we make life more affordable for working people in this country? We would work to build more housing. We would work to lower rents and stop giant Wall Street firms from bidding families out of the market. We would take on corporate consolidation and price gouging that are driving up the cost of food. We would lower health insurance premiums and prescription drug prices instead of ripping coverage away to pay for more billionaire tax breaks. We would make childcare more affordable. We would lower utility bills and end these stupid tariff taxes that show up in the price of nearly everything that people buy. In addition, we would stay here and we would keep working until the job was done. Now, I am not saying that every problem would be solved overnight, but we would put real solutions on this floor. We would allow debate. I mean, we don’t debate anything anymore. Most of the bills that come to this floor are completely closed, where nobody can offer an amendment, take it or leave it. I mean, you know, and when something did not pass, we would keep trying. We would keep trying until we got it right, until we helped people in this country. I mean, that is our job. That’s what we are supposed to do. When it comes to veterans, Democrats would fund the benefits that these veterans earned. We would not pit one generation of disabled veterans against another, and that is what my Republican colleagues are doing. It is really not only frustrating; it is unconscionable. That should not be a partisan statement, by the way, in terms of helping our veterans. That is basic decency. The American people deserve a Congress that is focused on affordability, not on Donald Trump’s long list of petty grievances and attempts to rehash old conspiracy theories from 6 years ago. They deserve a majority that understands that power is not about controlling the floor. It is about using the floor to help people, to improve the quality of life for the people that we represent. Republicans have had their chance. They blew it. They have wasted it. I urge my colleagues, vote ``no’’ on the previous question. Vote ``no’’ on this rule. Let us end the chaos and get back to work for the American people. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”
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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this debate has made one thing very clear. Republicans are not the victims of this chaos. They are the perpetrators of this chaos. There is only one party that controls this floor and all three branches of government. Republicans set the agenda. Republicans write these awful rules. Republicans control the schedule, and Republicans have chosen to spend week after week fighting with one another while regular working people are getting squeezed. News flash to my Republican colleagues: The American people know the difference between working and pretending to work. They know that passing the same voter suppression bill again and again will not lower their rent. They know that stapling the SAVE Act onto yet another piece of legislation will not bring down the price of groceries. They know that threatening the VFW will not improve veterans’ care. They know that changing or not changing the clocks will not change what is in their bank account. Mr. Speaker, if Democrats were in the majority, we would begin every day with one simple question: How do we make life more affordable for working people in this country? We would work to build more housing. We would work to lower rents and stop giant Wall Street firms from bidding families out of the market. We would take on corporate consolidation and price gouging that are driving up the cost of food. We would lower health insurance premiums and prescription drug prices instead of ripping coverage away to pay for more billionaire tax breaks. We would make childcare more affordable. We would lower utility bills and end these stupid tariff taxes that show up in the price of nearly everything that people buy. In addition, we would stay here and we would keep working until the job was done. Now, I am not saying that every problem would be solved overnight, but we would put real solutions on this floor. We would allow debate. I mean, we don’t debate anything anymore. Most of the bills that come to this floor are completely closed, where nobody can offer an amendment, take it or leave it. I mean, you know, and when something did not pass, we would keep trying. We would keep trying until we got it right, until we helped people in this country. I mean, that is our job. That’s what we are supposed to do. When it comes to veterans, Democrats would fund the benefits that these veterans earned. We would not pit one generation of disabled veterans against another, and that is what my Republican colleagues are doing. It is really not only frustrating; it is unconscionable. That should not be a partisan statement, by the way, in terms of helping our veterans. That is basic decency. The American people deserve a Congress that is focused on affordability, not on Donald Trump’s long list of petty grievances and attempts to rehash old conspiracy theories from 6 years ago. They deserve a majority that understands that power is not about controlling the floor. It is about using the floor to help people, to improve the quality of life for the people that we represent. Republicans have had their chance. They blew it. They have wasted it. I urge my colleagues, vote ``no’’ on the previous question. Vote ``no’’ on this rule. Let us end the chaos and get back to work for the American people. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.