On 1/10/2023, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Congressman Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Congressman Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), and Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) at today’s leadership press conference to discuss how House Republicans are working to make Congress more accountable and accessible to the American people. Leader Scalise highlighted how the House of Representatives successfully passed the Rules Package, which will create a more open legislative process that will allow Republicans to address the crises that Democrats have created. Additionally, Leader Scalise emphasized that House Republicans’ first major accomplishment was to repeal the planned hiring of 87,000 IRS agents by President Biden and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi to audit low-income and middle class families.
On the successful passage of the Rules Package, he said, “you saw last week there were a lot of conversations about changing the way that Washington works. And that’s really at the heart of what the rules changes addressed last night that passed ultimately, overwhelmingly, by our members because Washington has been broken. I don’t think you have to do a poll to know people across the country have recognized that Washington’s broken. Washington just has not been working for the families, the millions of hardworking people across this country who are struggling under the weight of all the reckless policies passed and signed into law by [President] Biden, passed by [former Speaker] Pelosi and Schumer.”
On Democrats’ self-made crises, Scalise said, “For two years, you’ve seen devastating inflation as a result of their reckless spending. You’ve seen incredibly high costs at the grocery store – everything you buy – because of the reckless decisions made in Washington. Energy costs [are] through the roof because of the reckless decisions made in Washington.
“An open border that has not only led to millions of people coming into our country illegally, last year alone, the number of people that came here illegally [is] more than the [number of] people in the state of New Mexico. That’s how many people came in illegally just last year.
On Republican-led efforts to improve the House of Representatives, Scalise said, “In fact, they shut out the ability for members like us who wanted to solve these problems on behalf of the 750,000-plus people we represent. And so, we knew that needed to change. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we won the majority. And we ran on a platform of changing Washington, and that started last week.
On the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, Scalise said, “We said the first bill we’re going to take up is the bill to repeal those 87,000 IRS agents, and Adrian Smith is now – you have the plaque – so he’s got the plaque with the result of the vote: 221 votes yesterday. Every Republican voted for it. Every Democrat voted against it.
“Think about this: Yesterday, every Democrat went on record saying that they want to more than double the size of the IRS to go after people like the hardworking families, the single mom who’s working two shifts at a restaurant.
“The CBO confirmed that when they added those IRS agents, it wasn’t just to go after the millionaires and billionaires; it was to go after people making less than $200,000 a year. [This] broke President Biden’s pledge – we actually had an amendment when that bill was going through to say that the new IRS agents couldn’t go after people making less than $400,000 to hold President Biden to his own pledge. Do you know every Democrat voted against that amendment?
“So, those IRS agents would be set up to go after hardworking families across this country. Frankly, what we need is more Border Patrol agents securing America’s border, not IRS agents going after hardworking families in America. And so, we passed that bill, and we’re going to pass more good bills this week.”
On the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, Scalise said, “We’re going to set up that Church Committee to look at some of these federal agencies that are weaponizing government to go after families across this country based on their political views. That’s not what government should be doing. We’re going to be looking into that as well.”
On new Republican committee chairs, Scalise said, ““Then, we’re going to set up our committees. You saw yesterday we finished out the chairmanships, we’re going to start populating the committees, and then the committees are going to get to work. Bringing bills out that’ll actually address inflation, allow us to lower costs for families. Fighting for those families who have had nobody fighting for them in Washington for years.
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Scalise: repeal 87K IRS agents, weaponizing government, populating committees, open border