Washington, D.C. – At a weekly press conference, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) delivered the following remarks on House Democrats shirking their responsibility to pass a supplemental disaster relief bill as well as their inability to legislate in a bipartisan manner, even when it comes to saving money for our children’s education.
Highlights are below, or watch the full press conference here.
On the supplemental disaster relief spending package:
“We should be staying in Congress and finish the supplemental disaster relief … I applaud Leader McConnell for saying that he will not let the Senate leave. That’s a sign of leadership … The idea that we would leave, while others are going through disasters — my thoughts and prayers go out to those in Missouri in this devastating tornado. I think the one thing that should not be partisan, that we should make sure this government is there for them in their time of need …
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“We can do better, and the first action we should take to show that we can do better – we should call the House back in and stay here and finish the supplemental disaster (spending package), and show the American public that we can govern. It shouldn’t be leaving this weekend.”
The partisan “poison pill” trend continues:
“There are moments in time that I believe all America becomes proud of this House. Those moments in those committees where we find every Republican and every Democrat, we find common ground. We watched that before in Energy and Commerce where we looked for ways that we could lower drug prices. We found three bills that would give America more options, lower the actual cost of prescription drugs, and it passed committee unanimously. Before it got to [the House floor], this Democrat majority leadership changed the bill – put a poison pill in it – which will never become law.
“Today we just witnessed something very similar. Ways and Means Committee worked together to find common ground when it came to pensions and others. Every Republican and every Democrat voted for it. But the special interests actually won out. They changed the bill before it came to the floor.
“We all are familiar with 529 accounts that allow us to save money for our kids’ college. But it also allows you to do more — pay for the books, pay for the college exams in the new version. It would also help if you have a child with disabilities. But the special interests decided that was wrong. The special interests decided that should be removed from the bill.
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“There are three things I’ve learned from this…The Democrats want institutions, not individuals, be the focus of their education funding. They want partisan interests, not parents, to decide how children learn. They want the federal government, not families, to have control over their money.”