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[Page H8372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRESS HAS A DUTY TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
(Mr. McCARTHY asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, Members of Congress have a solemn duty
to work to keep our Nation safe, secure, and more prosperous than it
was yesterday. We are expected to analyze sensitive information to gain
a more in-depth understanding of the needs of the American people and
the threats our country faces on a daily basis.
That role is even more consequential for the members of the
Intelligence Committee, who are entrusted with the privileged
information that other Members cannot access. You would expect them to
focus day and night on securing our Nation and promoting our national
security priorities abroad, but that has not been the case in this
Congress.
Under the Democratic majority, the most basic responsibilities of the
committee have been neglected. Instead, the House Intelligence
Committee is using its time and resources to run a sham impeachment
inquiry in secret.
Members of this Chamber will be asked to take one of the gravest
votes a Member could take before seeing a single transcript from a
witness deposition. The information Members and the public hear is
incomplete or intentionally distorted by selective leaks.
Madam Speaker, at what cost does this impeachment effort come?
As Democrats push forward with this sham partisan process, our Nation
is losing its intelligence edge around the world, particularly against
China. Not only are there significant intelligence gaps in order to
accurately assess the Chinese threat, the Chinese are actually ahead of
us when it comes to technological capabilities that are critical to
national security.
The Intelligence Committee's members are uniquely qualified to
formulate our Nation's response, but they cannot address these
challenges because of the committee's continued distraction over
impeachment.
The larger issue goes beyond what the Democrats are doing in one
committee. It is what they have failed to do as a majority. Their trend
of inaction strikes at home.
They have failed to swiftly pass the United States-Mexico-Canada
Agreement. In fact, they voted to prioritize impeachment over it
earlier today.
They have failed to address surprise medical billing.
They have failed to secure our border or reform our crumbling
infrastructure.
They have failed to lower prescription drug prices in a bipartisan
way.
The House Democrats are failing to pass appropriations bills that
would end the continuing resolution and fund the government. As a
result, pay increases for our troops, disaster recovery funds, and NIH
medical research funding are all at a stalemate.
Each of these failures represent an enormous opportunity cost for the
American people.
Democrats have chosen impeachment over getting anything done, even
though they previously warned of that exact problem.
In August, Congresswoman Slotkin said: ``People in my district are
wanting us to pass bills, and they fear that if we go down this path of
impeachment, we're not going to be working on the things that affect
their lives, their pocketbooks, and their kids.''
In September, Congressman Max Rose said: ``Impeachment will not fix
our roads and bridges or lower the cost of drugs. . . . The truth is
impeachment will only tear our country further apart, and we will see
no progress on the enormous challenges we face as a nation.''
Democrats said their majority would be different. They promised the
American public, if they entrusted them with the majority, they would
act differently, that they would put people before politics.
Madam Speaker, in the polls we see today, more people can tell you
about the investigations but can't tell you anything that has been
accomplished. They have broken their promise to solve problems, work
for all Americans, and focus on passing legislation.
Madam Speaker, there are 22 legislative days left on the calendar--
22. In that brief time, we have a lot of work to do, but we cannot
fulfill our responsibilities if Members in this Chamber continue to
turn their backs on the promise they made when their constituents sent
them to Washington.
Madam Speaker, how much money was spent? How many ads were made? And
how many promises were given that this majority would be different, how
many things they said they would accomplish?
And how much time have they wasted? We are 13 months from an
election, but we have not accomplished a thing.
We are better than this.
Madam Speaker, if you only listened to what Members on the other side
of the aisle said just in August and September, before the political
pressure forced them to change their mind.
Madam Speaker, if the Speaker had only waited 48 hours, we would not
put America through another nightmare. We would not break the fabric of
democracy of this Nation.
Madam Speaker, this is the people's House. We have got 22 more days.
We ask that you keep the promise you made to the American public and
you stop this sham of an impeachment you call.
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