'Oh My God': James McGovern Slams Republicans' Priorities In Blistering Speech

3 days ago

At Monday's House Rules Committee hearing, Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) mocked Republicans' legislative priorities.

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Transcript

00:00Well, thank you, Madam Chair. And I've really got to say that I'm so glad that Republicans

00:06are finally tackling a major issue that everybody, and I mean everybody, is talking about all

00:12the time. Commercial walk-in freezers. Oh my God. I mean, coming off your recent deep

00:18dives into pool heaters and hot water tanks, I've got to hand it to this majority, you're

00:23really zeroed in on what's most important to the American people. Keep at it. Because

00:28nothing says we're listening like congressional action on commercial refrigeration equipment.

00:35But if you happen to find a little extra time moving forward, maybe you might want to talk

00:38about something that I'm actually hearing about from my constituents. Like how Donald

00:43Trump is openly using the Department of Justice to go after his political enemies. Or how

00:48he's dismantling entire federal agencies, purging civil servants, and replacing them

00:54with loyalists. Maybe you could talk about how he and Elon are threatening to screw around

00:58with Social Security, even as people's retirement accounts are tanking because of chaotic economic

01:04proposals and reckless trade wars. Or how his tariffs are already driving up prices

01:10for everyday goods again, hitting working families with a hidden tax while he pretends

01:15to stand up for them. And maybe you could discuss how he's telling people to buy Tesla

01:19stock while lining and dining Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago. That's called corruption. Or how

01:26he's turning the presidency into his own get-rich-quick scheme while claiming to speak for the working

01:31people. I dare you to hold a town hall and tell your constituents what Republicans are

01:36using this committee to do. Hold hearings on commercial appliances while Donald Trump

01:41burns down the government. And as if wasting time on commercial freezer bills isn't bad

01:47enough, you're bringing up H.R. 1048, the Deterrent Act. Now, let's be real. This is

01:53all about handing Donald Trump and his cronies another tool to go after schools, students,

01:58and faculty who dare to challenge their ideology. This is about punishing higher education institutions.

02:06And maybe you guys think that learning is a liberal conspiracy. Because the bottom line

02:11is this isn't about policy. It's about fear. Either toe the line, either say what we want

02:18you to say, do what we want you to do, or you'll be punished. It's also about gutting

02:23the Department of Education and making it so that the only people who can afford college

02:29are the ones already at the top. Gutting the Department of Education means larger class

02:36sizes. It means fewer teachers. It means higher tuition. And it means devastating cuts

02:41to research and innovation. Research that leads to medical cures, climate solutions,

02:47and economic growth. All to bankroll tax cuts for billionaires and appease the whims of

02:52a man who thinks democracy is an inconvenience. Well, Democrats believe in something better.

02:58We believe government should work for all people, not just the wealthiest few. We believe

03:03in investing in education, health care, housing, clean air and water, and jobs. We're ready

03:09to work with anyone serious about delivering results for working families. But we will

03:13not stand by while Trump and his Republican enablers try to turn the government into their

03:18own personal ATM and a weapon for retaliation and revenge. I yield back.

'Oh My God': James McGovern Slams Republicans' Priorities In Blistering Speech

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