McCollum Statement on the Republican Motion to Vacate the Chair
Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, released the following statement today regarding the Resolution to Declare the Office of the Speaker Vacant:
“Speaker McCarthy has never asked for my vote, much less offered to listen to the priorities of the people I represent. Why would I vote to enable the ongoing madness and chaos that have consumed the U.S. House since January?
“Let me be clear: Democrats stand united. This is about the Republican conference’s own internal war. They have the speakership, the gavels, and the majority—it is up to them to be able to find unity of purpose to pass their own bills. If their bills are so extreme they cannot even pass them with Republican votes, that is their own problem and their leadership must recognize that they lack a functional majority with which to govern, and should come together with Democrats to forge a bipartisan path forward that reflects the will and the values of the American people.
“Speaker McCarthy has been at the beck and call of Donald Trump and extreme MAGA Republicans even before assuming the speakership, when he voted against certifying the electoral college vote on January 6th, and as Minority Leader he actively worked to discredit the committee investigating this attack on our Capitol. Since becoming Speaker—after 15 ballots—he has repeatedly failed to govern, pursued baseless attacks against the current President at the behest of the twice-impeached former President, and betrayed his word and his responsibilities to appease the most radical members of his conference, with their anti-LGBT, anti-women, anti-American agenda.
“Twice, House Democrats have stood up to be the adults in the room and keep this institution moving forward: on passing both the Fiscal Responsibility Act to avoid a catastrophic default, and the Continuing Resolution to keep the government open—both times, to spare the American people and our economy devastating consequences. Each time, the Speaker disrespected both us and the very institution he wants to lead.
“The Fiscal Responsibility Act was his own deal, negotiated with President Biden and passed by Congress. After it was signed into law, Speaker McCarthy promptly went back on his word. Instead of doing the serious work of moving bipartisan funding bills at the agreed upon levels, Speaker McCarthy led his party in the pursuit of devastating cuts to the services the American people rely on, slashing investments in keeping people and our planet healthy—all while loading up their appropriations bills with toxic culture war provisions.
“Just last week, Democrats once again stepped in to rise above the chaos and fulfill our responsibility to pass a clean Continuing Resolution to avoid a government shutdown. Republicans’ own rules dictate that we have 72 hours to review a bill; we asked for 90 minutes and were met with a refusal. We asked for an hour, and were again refused. In order to give our caucus time to read the bill, our Leader Jeffries stepped up and spoke eloquently on the House Floor about the Democratic commitment to put country over party and people over politics. In the end, 90 Republican members voted against the Continuing Resolution, and without Democratic votes, the government would have shut down on Speaker McCarthy’s watch.
“This latest Republican crisis is about their own failed leadership. Speaker McCarthy disrespected this institution, lied about his commitment to a bipartisan funding agreement, and then ignored or blamed Democrats for coming to his rescue. Enough! Democrats continue to put our nation’s families and communities first, and we will not vote to continue the madness. The American people deserve better.”
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