Press Releases
The Republican Recap: Week of December 11, 2023
Washington,
December 14, 2023
Here’s a recap of what Republicans achieved on the House Floor this week:
Condemning Antisemitism on College Campuses ✅ Last week at an Education and the Workforce Committee hearing, Republican Conference Chair Stefanik asked the presidents of MIT, Harvard, and University of Pennsylvania if calling for the genocide of Jews constituted harassment and violated their codes of conduct. This was not a hard question – in fact, it was probably the easiest question they could have answered. And yet, instead of hearing the simple and resounding ‘yes’ we should have, we heard horrific and cowardly non-answers that shocked the world. The failure of these university presidents to defend even the most basic of human rights – the right to exist – against hypocritical wokeism and protect Jewish students on their campuses exposed the moral bankruptcy at these elite universities to the world. House Republicans passed legislation to support Jewish students who no longer feel safe on our campuses against the hateful antisemitism they face today. We must stand up for what is right, denounce the despicable testimony of those three university presidents, and fight against the antisemitism running rampant on college campuses. Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik’s legislation, H. Res. 927, condemns antisemitism on university campuses and the testimonies of the presidents of MIT, Harvard, and University of Pennsylvania at the Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing on December 5, 2023. “The passage of my resolution marks a historic bipartisan effort to stand for moral truth. The world is watching as Members from both sides of the aisle stand resolutely with the Jewish people to condemn antisemitism on university campuses and the morally bankrupt testimony of the Harvard, MIT, and Penn university presidents during last week’s House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing. It is disappointing and revealing that 128 Democrats chose to vote against condemning antisemitism on college campuses and the pathetic and abhorrent testimony of the university presidents,” said Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik. What Members Said: “‘It depends on the context.’ This was the testimony delivered by so-called prestigious university presidents when presented with the question, ‘Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your campus bullying and harassment policies?’ The context – what a disgraceful, legalistic answer from academia's supposed top minds. As chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, I'll tell you what never depends on the context: Defending the rights of Jewish students to feel safe on campus. Condemning calls to incite violence against the world's most persecuted ethnic group is always appropriate and never depends on the context. And holding smug University elites accountable never depends on the context," said Chairwoman Virginia Foxx.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise denounced the college presidents' disgraceful testimony and hypocrisy and called for their resignation.
 Rep. John James called out the Harvard, MIT, and University of Pennsylvania presidents' complicity and emphasized that H.Res. 927 was a no-brainer.
 Providing Responsibly for Our National Defense ✅ As the United States faces unprecedented threats from adversaries like China and Russia, it is vital Congress performs one of its most important constitutional duties: to provide for our national defense and support the men and women who serve in the United States military, while also making sure taxpayer dollars are used responsibly. The Biden Administration has incorporated radical leftist programs such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory (CRT) into our military, pushed a military Green New Deal, and promoted drag shows on bases to further their agenda – wasting taxpayer dollars and focusing our military on being woke instead of being effective. House Republicans passed a plan that refocus the military on its core purpose – defending our national security – by gutting Biden’s wasteful initiatives, banning drag shows and critical race theory in the military, giving our troops a much needed pay raise of 5.2% (the largest in 20 years), supporting military families by improving housing and healthcare policies, increasing oversight and accountability of defense spending, and providing unprecedented support for the security of Israel. H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, introduced by Chairman Mike Rogers, counters the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression, boosts oversight of the Biden Administration’s Department of Defense, supports members of our military and their families, and saves taxpayers billions of dollars by cutting wasteful programs while still investing in a secure defense industrial base and innovative technologies to support our national defense. “Our nation faces unprecedented threats – the National Defense Authorization Act has never been more vital. With today’s passage of the FY24 NDAA, Congress has sent a strong message to our adversaries. The FY24 NDAA provides our military with the vital authorities, resources, and capabilities that our warfighters need to stay ahead of our adversaries. The FY24 NDAA supports our servicemembers, guts Biden’s woke agenda, deters China, and strengthens our military. I urge President Biden to quickly sign this bill into law,” said Chairman Mike Rogers. What Members Said: “The United States is facing a host of pressing issues, from communist China's increased aggression in the Indo Pacific to attacks by Iran backed Hamas terrorists against our dear friend, Israel. This NDAA ensures our military is ready and able to meet these challenges head on. In South Florida and across the nation, living and housing costs are a priority for our men and women in uniform. This NDAA secures a 5.2 percent increase in pay to our service members – the largest in 20 years – and authorizes $394 million more in the president's budget request for the new family housing and barracks and increases eligibility for cost of living allowances,” said Rep. Carlos Gimenez. Rep. Lisa McClain celebrated the Republican wins H.R. 2670, including banning critical race theory and drag shows, eliminating radical green new deal initiatives, and cutting diversity, equity, and inclusion funding.
 Delivering the Answers the American People Deserve ✅ For several months, the House committees on the Judiciary, Ways and Means, and Oversight and Accountability have been working tirelessly to uncover the truth about President Biden’s involvement in his family’s shady business dealings with foreign governments and the Biden Administration’s efforts to impede the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden. In that short time, the committees revealed substantial evidence that the Biden Administration obstructed the Hunter Biden criminal investigation and have exposed that the Biden family and their business associates have received over $24 million from foreign sources over five years, the president was personally involved – even using aliases – in his family’s dealings with foreign entities including China, and President Biden lied over and over about his involvement in these shady business dealings. By formalizing the impeachment inquiry, the three investigating committees will gain stronger subpoena enforcement power necessary to uncover all of the facts and ensure the House has the best possible legal standing as we move forward in our mission to deliver answers to the American people. H. Res. 918, introduced by Rep. Kelly Armstrong, reaffirms the ongoing impeachment inquiry and establishes a framework for the committees to continue their impeachment inquiry investigations and refer the matter to the Committee on the Judiciary, ensuring the American people receive the full truth through a transparent process. “The purpose of the impeachment inquiry resolution is to strengthen the House’s ability to compel testimony and uncover the facts. This inquiry is warranted and puts the House in the best legal position possible to do just that. The American people deserve nothing less,” said Rep. Kelly Armstrong. What Members Said: “This is an impeachment inquiry, defined as an act of asking for information – nothing more, nothing less. The inquiry is to further investigate at least three things: One, the extent to which Joe Biden as vice president was involved with the flow of millions of dollars from foreign companies and interests in China and Ukraine into the Biden family into numerous shell companies, including Hunter and his involvement," said Rep. Chip Roy. "Two, the extent to which Joe Biden has lied to the extent of his involvement, involvement that Hunter all but acknowledged today when avoiding his deposition in the show press conference on the Capitol steps by carefully saying his dad was not involved ‘financially’ in his businesses. Three, the extent to which Biden and his administration have obstructed justice by preventing Jack Morgan and Mark Daly with the Department of Justice from testifying to their involvement in DOJ and IRS deciding to slow walk 2014 tax charges and 2015 charges so the statute of limitations would lapse."
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick highlighted how H.Res. 918 gives the House the subpoena enforcement power necessary to deliver the answers and transparency the American people deserve.
 Expanding Milk Choice in Schools For Healthier Kids ✅ Under current requirements, only fat-free and low-fat milks are allowed in school meals due to concerns surrounding obesity and high cholesterol; however, recent studies have shown school children are not consuming the recommended amount of dairy and whole milk can have essential health benefits. Despite the many essential nutrients and health benefits of milk – such as lower risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood sugar, and obesity – the Biden Administration wants to continue to limit milk options to only fat-free and low-fat, as well as ban flavored milk until high school. When schools aren’t allowed to offer a variety of milk options to school children because of burdensome government regulations, many kids will choose sugary caffeinated sodas and beverages. Kids should be able to drink the milk they enjoy – not just the milk the government tells them they can drink – and receive the nutrients they need. Rep. Glenn Thompson’s legislation, H.R. 1147, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023, modifies requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to permit schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk. “Milk is an essential building block for a well-rounded and balanced diet, offering 13 essential nutrients and numerous health benefits. However, out-of-touch and outdated federal regulations have imposed restrictions on the types of milk students have access to in school meals,” Rep. Glenn Thompson said. “I am pleased to see my bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act pass out of the United States House of Representatives, and I ultimately look forward to restoring access to these nutritious beverages in schools across the country.” What Members Said: “As a doctor, I know the benefits of whole milk, and I know that they can have benefits for Americans of all ages. Whole milk is 96 and a half percent fat free. And according to a study conducted that lasted for more than 15 years, and was published in the Lancet Journal of Medicine, individuals who consume more than two dairy products each day have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. There are lower morbidity associated with those who have whole milk and whole milk products in their diet. The 13 essential nutrients that are found in milk are vital for the development of bones, muscles, and even brain tissue in our nation's children. By banning healthy milk products from our schools, misguided policies that were crafted and implemented by the Obama administration have led to students to turn away from milk and dairy products and turn to highly caffeinated and sugary drinks – those drinks have very little nutritional value,” said Rep. John Joyce. Rep. Bryan Steil underlined how H.R. 1147 protects parental choice and reduces government control over kids' drink choices.
 Limiting Executive Overreach and Providing Accountability in Rulemaking ✅ Too often under the Biden Administration, unelected bureaucrats in federal agencies pass rules that, when enacted, act as laws – allowing federal agencies to essentially force whatever regulations they want on the American people with no oversight or accountability. This overstepping of the executive branch into the role of Congress threatens the checks and balances designed by our Founders and burdens hardworking Americans with invasive and unnecessary regulations. We’ve seen it with the Department of Energy and the Consumer Product Safety Commission attempting to pass rules to ban gas stoves, with the Environmental Protection Agency trying to regulate emissions so that Americans are forced to switch to electric vehicles, with the Department of Education trying to force American taxpayers to repay student loan debt that doesn't belong to them, and many other examples. To combat unelected Washington bureaucrats’ burdensome regulatory agendas that skyrocket costs for families, House Republicans passed an important measure to limit executive agency overreach and provide accountability for the American people. Rep. Ben Cline’s legislation, H.R. 357, the Ensuring Accountability in Agency Rulemaking Act, requires that rules from federal agencies be issued and signed by the head of the agency, who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, to keep federal rulemaking in check and constitutional. “Preventing unelected career bureaucrats from initiating and issuing regulations is a common-sense solution to ensure greater accountability to American taxpayers in the rulemaking process. I’m pleased that our colleagues passed this bipartisan bill, which will help rein in Washington bureaucrats’ overreach of power,” said Rep. Ben Cline. What Members Said: Rep. John Rose emphasized how H.R. 357 keeps unelected federal bureaucrats in check.
 Rep. Daniel Webster pointed to how H.R. 357 reins in the administrative state and increases accountability.  |
