Otsego Junior High was in Washington, DC, for a field trip, but many of their planned activities were cancelled due to the shutdown. Congressman Latta was glad to welcome the students and ensure they could still visit the Capitol during their trip.
“Many Americans, including constituents from my district, have been directly affected by the government shutdown. Students from Otsego Junior High were excited to visit our nation’s capital, but the shutdown forced changes to their plans. I’m grateful to have led a personal tour for these bright Ohioans, sharing knowledge of American history and helping ensure they still had a meaningful experience in Washington, DC,”Latta said.
“We’re extremely grateful to Congressman Latta for making this visit possible. With the government shutdown canceling our original Capitol tour, his willingness to personally lead our students through the building means a lot. It’s a rare chance for them to see and understand how our democracy works,”said Charles Spencer, 8th Grade American History Teacher, Otsego Junior High.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mark Takano (D-Calif)
November 06, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Mark Takano (CA-39)—Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and Chair of Congressional Equality Caucus—released the following statement reflecting on the extraordinary career of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi after she announced she would not run for re-election:
Nancy Pelosi has been my colleague, my mentor, and my friend for more than three decades. I met her when I was still a bright-eyed teacher, and even then she was a force driven by her belief that public service should make life better for ordinary people. That sense of purpose and mission carried her to extraordinary heights. LGBTQ+ people, veterans, Californians, and all Americans have benefited from her courage and conviction. There is no question in my mind: Nancy Pelosi is the greatest legislative leader of the 21st century.
Since her very first speech on the House floor, when she called for action to confront the HIV and AIDS crisis, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has been a fearless champion for the LGBTQI+ community. She was one of only 67 Representatives to vote against the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and one of the earliest voices to oppose California’s Proposition 8. As Speaker, she led the House in passing landmark laws that changed lives—the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and the Respect for Marriage Act. Under her leadership, the House twice passed the Equality Act, a priority she made clear would always remain at the heart of our fight for full equality. Our community has had no greater ally as Speaker, and her leadership has brought real, lasting change for LGBTQI+ people across the country.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has been a tireless champion on behalf of our nation’s veterans. From her earliest days as a Member of Congress to her work as Speaker of the House, veterans were a top priority. So much so, that she considers the work we do on their behalf as sacred. The passage of the Honoring Our PACT Act, historic legislation that has given nearly 2 million toxic exposed veterans access to the benefits they earned, could not have happened without her tremendous leadership. She knew that this nation made a promise to servicemembers and keeping that promise meant that we must pay for the cost of war. Under Speaker Pelosi’s courageous leadership, a Democratic-majority Congress made significant strides on behalf of veterans with bills such as the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, the Veterans COMPACT Act, and many others. These policy successes were only possible because of the work of Speaker Emerita Pelosi and I am honored and humbled to continue her work on behalf of veterans.
Many in Washington forget where they come from once they get a title or a perch in leadership. Not Speaker Emerita Pelosi. California has always been in her heart. Even as Speaker, she never stopped fighting for our state — for our workers, for our families, and for our values. Whether it was protecting Dreamers, standing up for good jobs, or making sure our communities had what they needed after natural disasters, the Speaker Emerita was always there. She never forgot home.
I will miss the Speaker Emerita immensely. At a time of extraordinary challenge and change, her leadership has been a constant. She has guided our Caucus and our country through some of our hardest moments. But her legacy reaches far beyond the landmark legislation she passed. It lives in the people she mentored, the values she imparted, and the example she set for every person who believes that politics can still be a force for good. Thank you.
WASHINGTON – In a heartfelt post on social media, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) thanked Speaker-Emerita Nancy Pelosi for her service following Pelosi’s announcement that she would not seek re-election. Congresswoman Pressley and Speaker-Emerita Pelosi recently partnered on a groundbreaking, first-of-its kind report by the Government Accountability Office on the systemic pushout of Black and brown girls from K-12 schools across America.
The text of the Congresswoman’s post is as follows:
“Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you for your grit, grace, unshakeable faith, and strategic brilliance.
You’ve been the most effective Speaker of the House in American history, breaking barriers, fighting hard for workers and families, and serving as a mentor to so many of us.
I’m grateful for the work we’ve done together to support women, girls, and folks in the MA-7th and across the country.
Your stewardship of the gavel has helped move our nation forward and it’s been an honor to serve alongside you during these unprecedented times.”
Rep. Pressley also included several photos of the Congresswoman and Speaker over the years dating back to her swearing-in to the 116th Congress in 2019.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-1)
Rep. Jack Bergman and a coalition of House Members are calling on newly confirmed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Brian Nesvik to immediately delist the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and return management authority to states and tribes.
In a letter sent to Director Nesvik, Rep. Bergman and 24 of his colleagues congratulated him on his confirmation and urged the FWS to rely on science – not politics – in determining the gray wolf’s status. The Members underscored that wolf populations across the country have long surpassed recovery goals and that continued federal protections ignore both the law and on-the-ground realities in rural communities.
“Gray wolves have recovered far beyond the levels that originally warranted their listing,”said Rep. Bergman.“The science is clear – these populations are stable, self-sustaining, and thriving. It’s time to return management to the people who live with these animals every day, not judges or bureaucrats in Washington.”
The Members’ letter notes that recent federal court rulings have imposed new standards for delisting – requiring a species to repopulate its entire historic range – that are not found anywhere in the ESA. The lawmakers warn that this judicial overreach undermines the law’s intent and diverts critical conservation resources away from species truly at risk.
The letter urges FWS to reissue its 2020 rule delisting the gray wolf and to stand behind state and tribal wildlife management programs, which have proven capable of maintaining healthy wolf populations while reducing human-wildlife conflict.
We write to congratulate you on your confirmation as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Your leadership comes at a pivotal time for wildlife management across the country, and we trust you will work to ensure that agency decisions are both grounded in sound science and responsive to the needs of local communities. One of the most pressing issues in this regard is the need to delist the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and return primary management authority to states and tribes.
Few species illustrate the legal and policy challenges associated with repeated listing and delisting under the ESA more clearly than the gray wolf. First listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Preservation Act (ESPA), the predecessor to the ESA, the gray wolf has experienced a remarkable recovery over the past half-century thanks to sustained conservation efforts by states, tribes, conservation groups, private landowners, and federal partners. Despite this, the gray wolf’s status and regulation under the ESA continue to be the subjects of conflicting FWS rules and federal court decisions.
On November 3, 2020, FWS published the final rule, “Removing the Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.” Concluding that the best available scientific data demonstrated that gray wolf populations in the lower forty-eight states no longer met the definition of threatened or endangered under the ESA, the rule removed federal protections for these populations. This decision rightly returned management authority to individual states and tribes, allowing those closest to the issue – and most familiar with the unique challenges of living alongside these predators – to develop management strategies that balance conservation goals with the needs of local communities.
However, on February 10, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California vacated the November 2020 rule and ordered the reinstatement of federal ESA protections, arguing that FWS failed to adequately address the gray wolf’s absence from parts of its historic range. Following this court order, FWS issued the final rule, “Reinstatement of Endangered Species Act Protections for the Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) in Compliance With Court Order,” restoring federal protections across most of the country. Soon thereafter, additional petitions were filed which sought new or expanded listings for wolf populations not covered by the February 2022 court order. Responding to these petitions in February 2024, FWS concluded that the populations in question did not warrant ESA listing. Nevertheless, on August 5, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, Missoula Division vacated and remanded key portions of FWS’s February 2024 finding, again asserting that the agency failed to consider the gray wolf’s absence from its historic range.
Through the February 2022 and August 2025 rulings, the courts have effectively imposed a new requirement for delisting that the ESA does not contain – and that FWS has repeatedly rejected: that a species must repopulate its entire historic range before it may be delisted under the ESA. As FWS explained in its November 2020 delisting rule and again as recently as September 2024 – when the U.S. Department of Justice filed an appeal on behalf of FWS to restore the agency’s November 2020 rule – the ESA does not require that a species inhabit its entire historic range to be considered recovered and eligible for delisting. Rather, the ESA requires a finding of whether a species is “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” FWS has consistently interpreted that language to mean the species must be secure and self-sustaining in the areas that it inhabits today – and that recovery can be, and often is, achieved without full historical recolonization.
Allowing courts to substitute their own policy preferences for this longstanding, science-based interpretation undermines the ESA and risks diverting limited conservation resources away from species truly at risk of extinction. Gray wolves have exceeded every recovery goal that prompted their original listing under the ESPA and ESA, and state and tribal management programs – including regulated hunting seasons – in regions with currently delisted populations have demonstrated their ability to maintain a healthy and sustainable number of gray wolves.
Grounded both in scientific data and the law enacted by Congress, the gray wolf no longer meets the definition of threatened or endangered under the ESA, and primary management authority must be returned to individual states and tribes. Congress never intended the ESA to be an open-ended mandate for perpetual federal control over species based on where they lived centuries ago. Rather, the ESA is intended to bring species back to the point where such federal management is no longer necessary – a goal that, thanks to the collaborative work among states, tribes, conservation groups, private landowners, and federal partners, has been achieved for the gray wolf.
As such, we urge FWS to reissue the rule delisting the gray wolf under the ESA, and to stand firmly behind the authority of states and tribes to manage recovered species, including through regulated hunting and other proven tools that help reduce human-wildlife conflict while sustaining healthy populations. We once again congratulate you on your confirmation as Director of FWS, and we look forward to working with you to ensure wildlife management efforts at the agency are grounded in science, faithful to congressional intent, and responsive to the unique needs of communities across the country.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-1)
Friends,
As you know, a government shutdown began on Wednesday, October 1, after the Senate failed to pass legislation to keep the federal government funded.
Last month, I voted for a bipartisan continuing resolution that would have prevented this shutdown and extended government funding through November 21. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats blocked a straightforward measure.
The American people deserve better than political games that disrupt critical services and create unnecessary uncertainty for families, Veterans, and small businesses. My focus remains on restoring common sense and fiscal responsibility in Washington so we can fund the government, support our Servicemembers, and deliver real results for Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
My Offices
Our offices have been — and will continue — working throughout the shutdown to assist constituents with any issues they may be facing.
If you’re having trouble with a federal agency, please call 231-944-7633. My team will help you complete the necessary paperwork so your case can be filed and processed as soon as operations resume.
While our Washington, D.C. office remains open to visitors, we are unfortunately unable to schedule tours or process flag requests during the shutdown.
Agency Operations
Social Security Benefits will continue to be distributed. However, processing for benefit verifications or disability claims may be delayed.
Medicare and Medicaid Programs under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will continue operating as normal.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) All VA Medical Centers, Outpatient Clinics, and Vet Centers remain open. Benefits such as compensation, pensions, education, and housing assistance will continue to be processed.
The VA Contact Center: 1-800-MyVA411
The Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988 (available 24/7)
Some VA services will be affected, including regional benefits offices, the GI Bill hotline, and career counseling.
U.S. Postal Service Mail delivery will not be interrupted.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) The FSA will continue servicing farm loans and emergency loans, though some processing may be slower than usual.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) TSA operations continue, but travelers may face longer wait times. If flying, arrive early to ensure timely screening.
Passports and Consular Services Routine passport processing (currently 4–6 weeks) may take longer during the shutdown.
If you plan to travel internationally, start your passport renewal or application now. If you are abroad, U.S. consular services remain open.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. My team and I remain committed to serving you throughout this shutdown and to working toward a swift, responsible resolution.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-1)
Rep. Jack Bergman joined Rep. John Moolenaar and over thirty colleagues in calling on U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to include specialty crops in any potential USDA economic aid package. In their letter, the lawmakers outlined the importance of these crops to the United States economy, and the unique challenges facing specialty crop farmers.
The lawmakers wrote,“specialty crops are critical to America’s food security, dietary health, and economic vitality. They represent a significant share of our agricultural output, provide job opportunities across rural communities, and support a robust export market. Beyond their economic impact, specialty crops sustain a strong nutritional foundation critical for improving public health and lowering long-term health care costs across the nation.”
“Producers of specialty crops continue to face unique challenges, including high labor costs, vulnerabilities to weather and supply chain disruption, and limited risk management options compared to other commodities. In times of market disruption or natural disaster, these producers are disproportionately at risk. Without adequate support, the financial health of our growers is jeopardized,”they continued.
“Specialty crops represent a considerable portion of crop value in the United States and are grown in rural communities throughout all 50 states. Despite significant challenges, the family farms responsible for these crops produce the safe, nutritious fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts, as well as cultivate the trees, flowers and plants, that play a vital role in the nation’s health and wellbeing. Any economic aid package designed for agriculture must include specialty crops,”said the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance in support of the letter.
Michigan leads the nation in the production of a variety of specialty crops which include apples, asparagus, blueberries, cherries, cucumbers, and squash. Michigan farmers produce the second most diverse set of crops in the nation, which contributes over $100 billion to the state’s economy. Media reports indicate the administration is currently preparing an economic aid package for farmers.
A full copy of the lawmaker’s letter to Rollins can be found here.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) issued the following statement after Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced she would not seek another term in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“A defining leader of our era, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s historic leadership will forever stand as a testament to the strength, courage, and resilience that define the American spirit. For nearly four decades, San Francisco, the State of California, and our nation have been guided by her steady hand, inspired by her faith in our shared humanity, and moved by her unwavering belief in the promise of justice and equality for all.
“It has been a privilege to call her a colleague and an even greater honor to call her a friend. I am deeply grateful for her leadership and for paving the path that made it possible for me and so many other women to serve in Congress. Her wisdom, mentorship, and generosity have shaped my work and that of countless others who have had the honor to serve alongside her.
“Thank you, Speaker Emerita Pelosi, for your extraordinary vision, your steadfast dedication, and your lifelong service to our country. Even in these challenging times, history will remember your leadership as a turning point – one that made our nation stronger, more just, and forever changed for the better.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)
Yesterday, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee Chris Smith (R-NJ), introduced H. Res. 860, a new measure commending President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) and outlining a course of action for the U.S. Department of State to follow – including assistance for faith-based groups and sanctions for human rights abusers – in response to the killing and religious persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
“The slaughter of innocent Christians in Nigeria demands a strong response from the United States,” said Congressman Huizenga. “Congressman Chris Smith and I are leading the charge in Congress to stop these heinous killings. H Res. 860 commends the Trump Administration for designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, while calling for the Administration to enact sanctions against individuals and entities in Nigeria who are supporting this horrific violence. Additionally, this measure calls for setting verifiable conditions on any US Aid going to Nigeria. Nigeria must do more to protect all innocent individuals, including Christians, within its borders.”
“To be a Christian living in Nigeria means to be living under the constant threat of murder, kidnapping, rape, and torture by radical Islamists, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists,” stated Smith, who has led numerous human rights trips to Nigeria. “My new legislation commends President Trump’s decisive action to redesignate Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’—reversing an incredibly ill-advised decision by the Biden Administration—and lays out a detailed roadmap for the State Department’s future diplomatic dealings with the Nigerian government—urging sanctions and new conditions on U.S. foreign assistance.”
“President Trump’s ‘CPC’ designation of Nigeria is a critical first step towards achieving lasting peace, stability, and religious freedom in Nigeria,” continued Congressman Smith, an internationally recognized human rights lawmaker. “Congress has a job to do as well—to support President Trump’s initiative and oversee the State Department’s actions as it implements the goals of a ‘CPC’ designation, using all appropriate and available tools to advance religious freedom and protect persecuted Christians in Nigeria. It is well past time that the United States holds the Nigerian government responsible for its inability—or unwillingness—to fully confront and combat the unchecked, widespread religious persecution occurring within its borders.”
(1) President Donald J. Trump acted appropriately and decisively to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC and hold the Nigerian government accountable for its complicity in religious persecution by radical Islamists, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists;
(2) The State Department should:
(a) provide immediate humanitarian assistance directly to faith-based groups to support internally displaced people in Nigeria’s middle belt states; and
(b) condition U.S. foreign assistance, including through global health programs, to immediately address religious freedom violations and develop strategies for long-term peace and stability, including the Nigerian government taking immediate and effective steps to prevent religious persecution, prosecute perpetrators of violence, take action to care for the millions of internally displaced persons, and uphold constitutional protections for religious freedom;
(3) The United States, through the Department of State and Department of Treasury, should impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes under the Global Magnitsky framework and other restrictive measures, on individuals and entities responsible for severe violations of religious freedom in Nigeria, including sanctions against Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, and should place Fulani-Ethnic Militias operating in Benue and Plateau States on the Entities of Particular Concern List under the International Religious Freedom Act; and
(4) The United States is committed to promoting religious freedom and human rights as foundational principles of U.S. foreign policy.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Yesterday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on PBS NewsHour, where he made clear that while Republicans refuse to fix their healthcare crisis and negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement, Democrats will continue working to lower costs and end the GOP shutdown.
GEOFF BENNETT: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, welcome back to the NewsHour.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good evening. Great to be back.
GEOFF BENNETT: So this is now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Earlier today, you and Senator Schumer demanded a meeting with President Trump, the House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Senate Republican Leader John Thune. Have you heard anything back?
LEADER JEFFRIES: We haven’t heard anything yet from either the President or our Republican colleagues. Unfortunately, they remain missing in action. The House has now canceled votes six consecutive weeks. House Republicans are literally on a taxpayer-funded vacation, even though we’re in a government shutdown, the longest one in history, as you just mentioned. People are suffering all across the country. We need a bipartisan path forward to reopening the government to entering into a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people, while decisively addressing the Republican healthcare crisis.
GEOFF BENNETT: Democrats’ strong showing in the elections last night—how does that shape your thinking or strengthen your hand in this shutdown fight?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we don’t view this shutdown as something that should be assessed through a partisan lens. We’re fighting hard to make life better for the American people, to make sure that taxpayer dollars are spent in a way that is effective and efficient, while at the same time dealing with the issues that we know are important to the American people, particularly driving down the high cost of living in an environment where costs haven’t gone down, despite what Donald Trump promised on day one. Costs have gone up. Housing costs up. Electricity prices through the roof. Child care costs up. Grocery costs up. And now, because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, we know that tens of millions of Americans throughout the country are about to experience dramatically increased health insurance premiums, including in some cases people being forced to pay either $1,000 or $2,000 more per month. This cannot be allowed to occur in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
GEOFF BENNETT: As you mentioned, as the shutdown persists, the human toll is mounting, no paychecks for federal workers, SNAP benefits running dry. The FAA said today they will cut air traffic by 10% if the shutdown continues through Friday. If Democrats say they’re the party that believes that government should work, especially for folks on the margins, how do you explain to voters that the shutdown is continuing on Democrats’ watch as well?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we want a country to work. A country that works for working-class Americans, for everyday Americans and for middle-class Americans. And what’s clear is that there are far too many people who are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. They’re working hard, they’re playing by the rules, but they can’t get ahead and they can barely get by. And that should not be the case in this great country, where you have people, the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected, who are continuing to benefit from Republican policies, including the One Big Ugly Bill that enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, ripped $186 billion from SNAP in terms of what was done in that legislation, literally stealing food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans. And all of that was done by Republicans to enact massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors, and they made those tax breaks permanent. And what we’re fighting for at this moment is for a country that actually delivers on its promise. And in order to do that, we have to address the fact that life is too expensive for far too many people. And we’re on the wrong path. The American people understand that, and we need to change course.
GEOFF BENNETT: Separate from the shutdown, I do wanna ask you about the takeaways from last night’s elections because you had a Democratic Socialist in New York win. You had a centrist figure like Abigail Spanberger in Virginia win. What’s the broader message for your party? And what warning do you think Democrats’ wins send to Republicans?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it was a decisive set of victories for the American people who are crying out for public servants who are actually going to put everyday Americans first, as opposed to what Republicans have done, which is to prioritize their billionaire donors. And the common narrative that connected what happened in New York to what happened in Virginia to what happened in New Jersey and other parts of the country, including in Georgia or Pennsylvania or Mississippi, where Democrats flipped seats, in some instances for the first time in decades, is that we are focused on the affordability crisis, on driving down the high cost of living, on fixing our broken healthcare system and making sure that people have a path toward experiencing the American dream. Hopefully, my Republican colleagues will process that and change course because the Trump presidency has been a disaster, including as it relates to the Trump tariffs, which have actually increased costs by thousands and thousands of dollars per year on working-class Americans.
GEOFF BENNETT: With President Trump reportedly telling Republicans that they’re getting politically killed by the shutdown, does that give you an opening?
LEADER JEFFRIES: We want the President to come to the negotiating table. Understand that during this 36-day Trump-Republican shutdown, Donald Trump has spent more time on the golf course, weekend after weekend after weekend, than he has in talking to Democrats on Capitol Hill who represent half of the country. He has shown no interest in solving problems for everyday Americans. It’s been a problem since day one of his presidency, and hopefully, he’ll now change course.
GEOFF BENNETT: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thanks again for your time this evening. Good to see you.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — On Day 37 of the Democrat Shutdown, Speaker Johnson hosted a press conference alongside Republican Governance Group Vice Chairman Carlos Gimenez, members of the Republican Governance Group, and House GOP Leadership to discuss Democrats affordability myth and Republican efforts to clean up President Biden’s economic mess. Speaker Johnson also addressed Democrats continuing to keep the government shut down as the pain increases on millions of American families.
“President Trump and Republicans are delivering results for the American people that they can see and feel. To date, we’ve seen core inflation nearing its lowest level in four years. Gas prices have fallen to a four-year low, prices for everyday goods continue to decline. And blue-collar workers are seeing the largest increase in wage growth in nearly six decades,” Speaker Johnson said. “That’s the result of our policies. In Congress, House Republicans are working hand in hand with President Trump to advance his affordability agenda.”
On the economic failures of the Biden economic agenda and Republican efforts to make life more affordable:
It’s Republicans who are working every day to make life more affordable for working families. And it’s not a talking point for us. We are delivering. After four long years of skyrocketing prices under the Biden Administration, we had to take over. You don’t flip a switch and reverse that overnight. It takes a while to work those policies out of the system and to get the new ones in. President Trump and Republicans are delivering results for the American people that they can see and feel. To date, we’ve seen core inflation nearing its lowest level in four years. Gas prices have fallen to a four-year low, prices for everyday goods continue to decline, and blue-collar workers are seeing the largest increase in wage growth in nearly six decades. That’s the result of our policies in Congress. House Republicans are working hand in hand with President Trump to advance his affordability agenda. It is President Trump who ran on that. It’s President Trump who’s delivering on that.
And we are all partners in that new effort to make America great again. It begins with the economy. And we know that we’re laser focused on making a difference in the lives of hardworking American families. Here’s another demonstration. The Working Families Tax Cut. It is aptly named. It’s the largest tax cut in U.S. history for working and middle-class Americans. You got Bernie Sanders running around, “they are talking about the billionaires.” It’s not this, that’s the opposite of the truth. Look at the facts. That bill was written for lower- and middle-class earners, and they’re the ones that will feel the positive effects going into next year. We included in that, as you know, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, real tax relief for seniors. These are the kinds of things that people feel, and they see that we’re making good on our promises. We’ve made historic investments in American energy dominance to drive down the cost of gasoline and groceries. And we’re grounding every decision we make in common sense.
On Democrats masking socialism as a viable economic agenda:
I want to say this because a lot has been said about the common sense that we rely upon to keep a Republican operation. The Mamdani campaign. It is very easy to run and win as a socialist, right? All you do is promise everything to everyone for free. What a great message that is. Well, that really resonates for people who don’t study history. And while you’re making all those promises, you just hope you hope that they never realize the trap that you’re actually setting, the impossibility of fulfilling your fantastical claims and dreams, and the extreme danger and chaos that would result if you ever could. When you run as a socialist, you have to hope that they never understand that this will lead to the inevitable loss of their freedom, their opportunity, and their security, the loss of meritocracy and fairness in society, the loss of colorblindness, and the loss of emphasis on character and the morality, and the personal incentive. If you run as a socialist, you run on a big list of false claims, and you promise everything to everyone and you can’t deliver, and if you were ever able to deliver, it would be to the great detriment of the very people that you lured in to vote for you.
On Democrats refusing to drop their partisan demands and reopen the government:
They’ve created a mess for America with this pointless government shutdown. The Democrats will tell you that they’re feeling emboldened. They’re feeling emboldened because they had a few blue state election results. It does not change the fact that they have walked their party off a cliff with no parachute and no path forward.
The reason we’re stuck right now is because of one simple fact. If they vote to reopen the government, the Senate Democrats are afraid that the radicals in their party will say that they caved. They’re afraid of the retribution that will come from that. But if they keep the government shut down, they know very well, as we all do, that millions of Americans will continue to suffer as essential services remain unfunded and paychecks to federal workers continue to stay stalled. So, our question for Democrats this morning is this, which constituency matters more? The loud radicals in your party, or the hardworking American people? I can tell you which side the Republicans are on. 15 times we voted for the hardworking American people. And 15 times so far, the Democrats in Congress have voted for the radicals in their party. It is unconscionable to us that they’ve allowed it to go on this long. And at some point, all you can do is pray that that common sense prevails.