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The Republican Recap: Week of January 9, 2023

Here’s a recap of everything House Republicans achieved on the Floor this week: 


Stopping the Biden Administration’s Plan to Hire 87,000 New IRS Agents ✅
In its first legislative accomplishment of the 118th Congress, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed Congressman Adrian Smith’s legislation, H.R. 23, the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, on Monday. “The last thing the American people need right now are more audits from an out-of-control, bloated IRS. The Inflation Act funding for IRS would lead to the hiring of 87,000 new IRS employees tasked with raising enough revenue to pay for Democrats’ Green New Deal priorities,” said Rep. Adrian Smith. “This is unacceptable, which is why Rep. Steel and I are leading the House of Representatives in a bill to rescind this spending. Our bill leaves in place funding for customer service and IT improvements because IRS is in desperate need of reform, but it protects middle-class families from audits they cannot afford.” Congressman Smith’s critical legislation:

  • Defunds the Biden Administration’s plan to hire 87,000 new IRS agents.
  • Blocks efforts to drastically increase audits on middle class families.
  • Reserves funding for customer service and I.T. modernization.

What Members Said: “Americans have been feeling the weight of destructive policies since their first day in power, and now it's time for our Republican majority to fix this mess. The pressure on American taxpayers has continued to increase since the passage of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act when they gave $80 billion of new funding for the IRS to hire 87,000 new agents to needlessly audit families and small businesses who are forced to fund the out-of-control spending and misguided Green New Deal priorities,” said Rep. Carol Miller. “How do more audits and scrutiny from the IRS benefit hardworking Americans?”

Click here or on the image above to view Rep. Miller's remarks. 

Rep. Drew Ferguson showcased House Republicans’ efforts to stop the IRS from hiring 87,000 new agents.


Countering the Chinese Communist Party ✅ Republicans are serious about China’s national security threat and are ready to take measures that will counter the Chinese Communist Party’s malicious agenda. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives adopted H. Res. 11, which establishes a Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. "It is time to push back against the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression in bipartisan fashion, and the overwhelming bipartisan vote to create the Select Committee on the CCP is an important step in that direction. The next step is to populate the committee with serious members on both sides and get to work with a sense of urgency,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher. “I thank Speaker McCarthy for the opportunity to lead this committee and for laying out a compelling vision for how we can defend American interests and American sovereignty."

  • The Select Committee will be composed of 16 members appointed by the Speaker, including nine Republicans and seven Democrats.
  • The Select Committee will investigate and make policy recommendations on the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress and its competition with the United States.
  • It will have no legislative jurisdiction but may hold public hearings in connection with its investigative functions.

What Members Said: “As a member of the China Task Force in the 116th and the 117th Congresses and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, this committee is long overdue, and I commend Speaker McCarthy for putting it together. A clear and dedicated focus on issues surrounding the strategic competition between the United States and China has never been more important," said Rep. Darin LaHood. 

Click here or on the image above to view Rep. LaHood's remarks. 

Rep. Greg Murphy celebrated the creation of the Select Committee on China, which aims to bolster America in the 21st century.


Protecting the Constitutional Rights of the American People 

There has been growing evidence of the politicization of our intelligence agencies and the abuses of power they’ve engaged in to silence, target, and collect information on those they disagree with. This Republican Congress will not allow this to continue unchecked. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 12, which creates a select subcommittee on the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the weaponization of the federal government against everyday Americans. “Americans have seen growing evidence bias, misconduct, and politicization at the highest levels of the DOJ and FBI that create two tiers of justice. Congress has a Constitutional duty to investigate how federal entities have been politicized against the very people they’re supposed to represent, and we’ll do just that with the new Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. The select subcommittee:

  • Will investigate how the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and other executive branch agencies obtain information from and provide information to the private sector, non-profit entities, or other government agencies to facilitate action against American citizens.
  • Would be given sweeping investigatory powers that include access to information shared with the House Intelligence Committee and the authority to review ongoing criminal investigations.
  • Would permit Speaker McCarthy to name 13 members to the panel, including five Democrats, after consultation with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

What Members Said: "The very words expressed by those opposed to this committee demonstrate the dire need for this committee. We've gone four years without oversight. And to quote Shakespeare, 'The lady doth protest too much, methinks.' Those who argue against transparency may have something to hide," said Rep. Thomas Massie.

Click here or on the image above to view Rep. Massie's remarks. 

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler called out the Biden Administration for targeting parents and calls for oversight.


Condemning Violence Against Pro-Life Institutions ✅ Ever since the draft of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision was leaked to the public, pro-life institutions, crisis pregnancy centers, and churches have been subjected to a recent uptick in violence and destruction. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed Republican Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson’s legislation, H. Con. Res. 3, which condemns the attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches. “The Supreme Court opinion re-establishing the authority of individual states to prohibit the killing of unborn children sent the Democrat Party and other radical pro-abortion activists off the deep end in 2022,” said Republican Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson. “Since there has been so little accountability for the leaked draft opinion and ensuing violence and intimidation against pro-lifers, we are making the position of Congress crystal clear: violence, property damage, threats, and intimidation tactics must be condemned, and these clear violations of federal and state laws must be prosecuted.” It’s time for Democrats and the Biden Administration to stop turning a blind eye to the violence targeting these places and condemn this violence. What Members Said: "Women deserve to be offered the full range of health support that can help them in their time of need. Pro-life pregnancy centers do exactly that, offering a compassionate support system for pregnant women. Shamefully since the Dobbs decision was rendered, these pregnancy centers have been under attack by radical abortion activists. We've seen horrific displays of vandalism, threats, and intimidation directed at pro-life groups and facilities for the simple fact that they support life,said Rep. Brad Wenstrup.

Click here or on the image above to view Rep. Wenstrup's remarks. 

Rep. Tom Tiffany pointed out that only three Democrats voted with House Republicans to condemn violent attacks against pro-life facilities.


Babies Born Alive Deserve Protection ✅  On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed Congresswoman Ann Wagner’s legislation, H.R. 26, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. “I have championed this issue for decades and I have been blessed and honored to lead this legislation since 2019. Thanks to our efforts, after dozens of unanimous consent requests, two discharge petitions, and countless hours of advocacy work, the House has finally taken action to ensure that every single baby born in the United States receives lifesaving medical care at their most vulnerable moment,” said Rep. Ann Wagner. “We must remember today that children are not the only victims of born-alive abortions. Women, fathers, and whole families all suffer deeply from the loss of their child. Our communities are weaker because these bright young ones did not grow up to share their wisdom, laughter, and ingenuity with us.” The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act:

  • Requires that health care practitioners who are present at a live birth during an attempted abortion exercise the same degree of skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child that would be offered to any other child born prematurely at the same gestational age and then immediately transport and admit the child to a hospital.
  • Requires health care practitioners and hospital employees to report violations to law enforcement authorities, reducing the number of born-alive abortions that go unreported.
  • Failure to exercise the required degree of care, or report a failure to comply can be penalized through fines or up to 5 years imprisonment.
  • Penalizes the intentional killing of a born-alive child as murder.
  • Gives the mother of the abortion survivor a civil cause of action against the abortionist and protection from prosecution, recognizing that women are the second victims of abortion and promoting the dignity of motherhood.

What Members Said: “Today, we are not talking about abortion. We are talking about children. We are talking about children who have been born and are fighting to survive despite an abortion attempt. In some cases, when a woman receives a late-term abortion, the baby can be born alive following the procedure. Federal law currently recognizes these babies as persons but fails to outline any requirements of care after the infant is born alive. H.R. 26 would rectify this by requiring health care practitioners to treat any child born alive after an abortion as they would any infant and requires that the infant be immediately treated with life-saving care and transported to a hospital,” said Rep. Kat Cammack.

Click here or on the image above to view Rep. Cammack's remarks.

Rep. Stephanie Bice praised the House of Representatives for passing common-sense legislation to protect babies who survive an attempted abortion.


Stopping the Biden Department of Energy From Selling Our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China ✅ Over the past two years, President Biden has drained our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to distract from his war on American energy, depleting it to its lowest level since 1983. Worse still, the Biden Administration sold oil from our strategic reserves to the Chinese Communist Party, which now has the largest government-controlled reserve of oil in the world. Today, the House of Representatives passed Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ legislation, H.R. 22, Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act. “To cover up his failed policies driving our energy and inflation crisis, President Biden is draining our nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves at an alarming rate. America’s SPR – once the world’s largest stockpile – has been depleted to the lowest levels since 1983. To date, President Biden has released more from the SPR than all U.S. presidents in history combined. Millions of barrels of that oil have gone to China, which now has the world’s largest government-controlled stockpile of oil,” said Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. “Draining our strategic reserves for political purposes and selling it to China is a significant threat to our national and energy security. This must be stopped, which is why I’m proud to join my Republican colleagues in passing H.R. 22, one of the most bipartisan votes on an energy bill in many years and multiple Congresses. There’s more to come. This is just the beginning.” This legislation will prevent further direct or indirect sales and exports from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Chinese Communist Party and help end Biden’s abuse of our strategic reserves. What Members Said: “This act is a crucial step to holding China accountable and repositioning the United States as a global energy leader. It is essential that we recover our energy independence and stand up for Texas’ workers who have unfairly suffered as a result of this administration’s misguided policies that have emboldened regimes like China and Venezuela’s narco dictatorship,” said Rep. Monica De La Cruz.

Click here or on the image above to view Rep. De La Cruz's remarks. 

Rep. Ashley Hinson emphasized that the Biden Administration should not be selling oil from America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Chinese Communist Party.