Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Congressman Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Congressman Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), and Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) at today’s leadership press conference to discuss how House Republicans are working to make Congress more accountable and accessible to the American people. Leader Scalise highlighted how the House of Representatives successfully passed the Rules Package, which will create a more open legislative process that will allow Republicans to address the crises that Democrats have created. Additionally, Leader Scalise emphasized that House Republicans’ first major accomplishment was to repeal the planned hiring of 87,000 IRS agents by President Biden and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi to audit low-income and middle class families.
   On the successful passage of the Rules Package:

“Good morning to all of you, and it is exciting as part of the new Republican House majority. We've already started to get to work. You saw last night, we've passed the Rules Package. I know a number of members of the press were asking me yesterday morning, even, you know, ‘Are you going to pass the Rules Package?’ And we said, ‘Of course, we are’ because the Rules Package is a culmination of member meetings [and] negotiations that have been going on for months, frankly. 

“And then you saw last week there were a lot of conversations about changing the way that Washington works. And that's really at the heart of what the rules changes addressed last night that passed ultimately, overwhelmingly, by our members because Washington has been broken. I don't think you have to do a poll to know people across the country have recognized that Washington's broken. Washington just has not been working for the families, the millions of hardworking people across this country who are struggling under the weight of all the reckless policies passed and signed into law by [President] Biden, passed by [former Speaker] Pelosi and [Senate Majority Leader] Schumer.” 

On Democrats’ self-made crises:

“For two years, you've seen devastating inflation as a result of their reckless spending. You've seen incredibly high costs at the grocery store – everything you buy – because of the reckless decisions made in Washington. Energy costs [are] through the roof because of the reckless decisions made in Washington. 

“An open border that has not only led to millions of people coming into our country illegally, last year alone, the number of people that came here illegally [is] more than the [number of] people in the state of New Mexico. That's how many people came in illegally just last year. 

“The fentanyl deaths. More than 100,000 of our young people died last year because of the fentanyl coming across our southern border. And what was Washington doing to address those problems? Not a thing.”

On Republican-led efforts to improve the House of Representatives:  

“In fact, they shut out the ability for members like us who wanted to solve these problems on behalf of the 750,000-plus people we represent. And so, we knew that needed to change. In fact, that's one of the reasons we won the majority. And we ran on a platform of changing Washington, and that started last week.

“You saw that debate, and it was a healthy debate. Frankly, it was a debate that needed to happen years ago. And so, once we got through that, we had to formalize it in the Rules Package, and we did. And then we went to work, and the first thing we did is delivering on the promises that we made during the campaign. We made a commitment to America.” 

On the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act:

“We said the first bill we're going to take up is the bill to repeal those 87,000 IRS agents, and [Congressman] Adrian Smith is now – you have the plaque – so he's got the plaque with the result of the vote: 221 votes yesterday. Every Republican voted for it. Every Democrat voted against it. 

“Think about this: Yesterday, every Democrat went on record saying that they want to more than double the size of the IRS to go after people like the hardworking families, the single mom who's working two shifts at a restaurant. 

“The CBO confirmed that when they added those IRS agents, it wasn't just to go after the millionaires and billionaires; it was to go after people making less than $200,000 a year. [This] broke President Biden's pledge – we actually had an amendment when that bill was going through to say that the new IRS agents couldn't go after people making less than $400,000 to hold President Biden to his own pledge. Do you know every Democrat voted against that amendment?

“So, those IRS agents would be set up to go after hardworking families across this country. Frankly, what we need is more Border Patrol agents securing America's border, not IRS agents going after hardworking families in America. And so, we passed that bill, and we're going to pass more good bills this week.” 

On the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party:

“You're going to see us today set up the Select Subcommittee on China to finally confront the challenge that is one of the greatest threats to our nation. And that is what the Chinese Communist Party has been doing all around the globe, making challenges to our country and other countries around the world.” 

On the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government:

“We're going to set up that Church Committee to look at some of these federal agencies that are weaponizing government to go after families across this country based on their political views. That's not what government should be doing. We're going to be looking into that as well.”

On the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act:

“We're going to pass the Born-Alive Act. This bill we talked about a long time [ago]. In fact, every Republican was a co-sponsor of this bill last Congress, and [former Speaker] Pelosi wouldn't bring it up to a vote, and in our first full week, we're going to actually bring that bill up for a vote. 

“[Congresswoman] Ann Wagner's bill that says if a baby's born alive, outside the womb, in some states, they actually are allowing that baby to be killed and calling it abortion. It's murder. And yet, it's legal in some states. Even people that identify as pro-choice think that that's disgusting, and immoral and shouldn't be allowed in America, and yet it is. And so, we're going to confront that too.” 

On new Republican committee chairs:

“Then, we're going to set up our committees. You saw yesterday we finished out the chairmanships, we're going to start populating the committees, and then the committees are going to get to work. Bringing bills out that'll actually address inflation, allow us to lower costs for families. Fighting for those families who have had nobody fighting for them in Washington for years.

“For way too long, Washington has needed to change, and last week started that process. Last night, we culminated with the Rules Package, and now we get to work implementing it, and that's ultimately what matters, is getting the job done for those families who are struggling all across this country. And we’re excited, and we’re up to the challenge, and we're ready to get to work.”