Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), and Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) to warn about the growing embrace of communist ideology among a new generation of Democratic candidates, highlight the real-world consequences of communism, and reaffirm House Republicans' commitment to defending American freedom.
 

 
Highlights from Leader Scalise’s remarks:

On Rep. Giménez’s firsthand account of life in communist Cuba:

“Wow, what a powerful tale that Carlos told. It's a cautionary tale. It's a tale of what really happens when people come delivering snake oil sales. ‘Oh, everything's going to be great, everything's going to be free.’ Carlos told you, you know, when Castro came in, we're going to have free and fair elections in six months, and it's over 60 years and they still haven't happened. And they won't happen as long as communists stay in power, because all they care about is power. 

“And I don't think anything could explain what we are so concerned about here in America than [Rep.] Carlos Giménez, who has truly lived the American dream. He fled a communist dictatorship, luckily had wonderful parents who cared about him and didn't want him to have to come up in that kind of environment, they wanted him to have freedom, wanted him to have opportunity. And you can't get that in a communist state, but you can get it in America. You can get it in America because you have leadership who still cares about freedom. This Republican leadership has fought every single day for those freedoms that make this country the greatest beacon for freedom and democracy in the history of the world."

On radical Democrats' attempts to chip away at American freedoms:

“And there are some now who want to take that away. And they're getting into power. They want to get the House majority. We are not going to let that happen. You look at some of the candidates that Mamdani has backed that espouse those same communist views that Castro brought to Cuba when it was a free and beautiful place.

“And they're still talking about that in these races, not just in New York, where you literally have a candidate who has such radical extreme communist views that she deleted over 4,000 tweets. How crazy and radical are the things that you've tweeted that you have to delete not two or three of them, over 4,000 of them, including things like— sure, she said she wants to— she did wipe her hands on an American flag. She said she wants to not just defund the police, she wants to defund prisons. Now, is she going to take the criminals into her own house? Probably not. She wants them to go into your community. 

“Mamdani, with a smile, just a week and a half ago, in a record heat wave in New York City, told the citizens of New York to raise their temperature up to 78 degrees on their thermostat. I guess that's the warmth and collectivism of socialism that he talked about in his campaign, not the kind of warmth people of New York were counting on. But that's how it starts. It starts where you can't raise your temperature over 78 degrees, and then they're going to come check and make sure you're not raising it over 78 degrees. Then they'll probably fine you, and then they'll probably try to put you in jail if you do it. That's what communism is. That's what we are raising their red flag over, because we're not going to let that red flag fly over this United States Capitol. That's what's on the ballot this November."

On the choice this November between communism and common sense:

“It's no longer reserved to just the city of New York. They're trying to spread it all throughout the country. And ultimately, the American people will decide that in November. Are we going to hold on to these great principles of freedom that make America the best place to live, the place that people want to come to? Are we going to allow communists to change it in an unrecognizable fashion, in a way that we'll never be able to come back from? We cannot let that happen, and the American people will not let that happen. So we're going to continue doing our work.

“We have a lot of work still to do. You're going to see this week the Budget Committee move the beginnings of Reconciliation 3.0 out of committee, and we're moving more bills through the floor this week. Another appropriations bill. But at the same time, we are also continuing to raise the alarm that on the other side of this strong House Republican majority fighting for freedom, are now communists who want to change everything and take away those freedoms. 

“And they espouse hatred of America shamelessly on the heels of our 250th anniversary celebrating our freedom. Where would they choose? And I think it's a good question for any of y'all to ask them as they talk about all the things they hate about America. Ask them what their ideal country is. I think it's a very good question to ask. Who's number one? If this place is so bad that they won't leave, they have the freedom to leave. They won't leave. They can. They should if they hate it so much. But if this place is so bad, who is that place they aspire us to be? I think that's a fair question to ask because it'll also tell you everything you need to know about them. We're not going to let that happen.”

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