Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.), and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) to discuss the weekend’s ‘Hate America’ rallies, the violent rhetoric at those rallies, and the need for Senate Democrats to reopen the government. Leader Scalise emphasized that while the rallies ended, the pain Chuck Schumer has inflicted on millions of Americans continues.
 
On Senate Democrats holding the American people hostage:

“Well, you could see Republicans are united strongly in working to open the government back up. We all voted to prevent a government shutdown, and that bill went through the House weeks ago on almost exclusively a party-line vote. And since then, for weeks and weeks, that bill has been in the Senate, where Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, consistently have voted to shut the government down. And we've said, all this is about is Chuck Schumer trying to appease his most radical base, the most far-left elements of the Democrat Party, the people who have taken over the Democrat Party. Frankly, they've held Chuck Schumer hostage, and so now Chuck Schumer is holding the American people hostage.”

On the violent rhetoric at Saturday’s ‘Hate America’ rallies:
 
“This weekend, we got to see on display what that ‘Hate America’ rally we've been talking about was really all about. You could see some of the signs. These are just a few, but over and over again, you could see signs like ‘86 47.’ I think everybody knows what that's about. Multiple signs like that advocating for the death of our President. And where are the Chuck Schumers of the world calling that out? They didn't call it out. They actually went and celebrated with those people that are advocating for the murder of President Trump and other Republicans. It's insanity. Yet that's where the Democrat Party in Washington has gone. Most Democrats around the country don't buy into that far-left, radical socialist base that Chuck Schumer is catering to. That's why so many are walking away from that party. But in the meantime, that's who is controlling the Democrat Party here in the United States Senate and in Congress.”

On House Republicans lowering premiums:
 
“That's why we continue to be at this stalemate, not because there's some ability for us to come together and find a common ground. We've been trying. We had a provision in the Working Families Tax Cut that would have lowered premiums for families, health care premiums, by 11%. It was scored by the Congressional Budget Office to do that. 11% reduction in premiums for families. You might ask, ‘Well, why is that not the law of the land?’ Because it passed the House, but when it got over to the Senate, it was Senate Democrats who went to the parliamentarian and fought to get that provision removed because they don't care about lowering premiums for families. They really don't, and they showed it over and over again.”
 
On Democrats catering to their radical base:

“What do they care about? They care about catering to the most radical elements of their base. You could see the sponsors, and it's been mentioned before, the Communist Party of America, the Socialist Party. Well, that's who's taking over the Democrat Party. That's not who America is. America is not a Socialist nation. It's surely not a Communist nation. But the Democrat Party here in Washington is trying to pull the country down that rat hole. We've seen it over and over again. That experiment has been tried time and time again. You could go look at the scrapheap of history to see other countries where it's failed. Why won't they go protest over in those countries, and just be a part of those countries where it's already failed? But they come here, and they lie about our President. They call him a ‘king,’ where, ironically, they're also advocating for the death of that democratically elected President. And so, you've got to see it all on full display. Hopefully, that's what Chuck Schumer needed to go through to show them that he's still keeping the government shut down to appease that group. But now that rally is over, and the pain that he has inflicted on American families continues.
 
“It's time for Chuck Schumer to end the pain he's inflicting on millions of American families. Finally, vote. Just five Senate Democrats need to come together to vote to open this government back up again. We still have big differences, and we'll be negotiating our differences in the weeks ahead. But it's time he releases the American people from this crazy experiment.”

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