WASHINGTON, D.C.—At today’s House Leadership stakeout, Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) highlighted new retail sales numbers and the many Americans returning to the workforce thanks to Republican pro-growth policies, and also stressed what’s at stake if Democrats are in control to implement their radical agenda. Following the introduction of Democrat-led legislation to abolish the critical Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the House will vote on a resolution in support of the organization, in line with the opinion of the majority of Americans who believe in the rule of law. The House will also take up Whip Scalise’s resolution to oppose a carbon tax, which would be harmful to manufacturing and increase costs for Americans. Finally, Whip Scalise expressed support for appropriations legislation on the floor this week that will fund critical programs and repeal job killing regulations.
Click here or on the image above to watch his remarks.
On how Americans are Better Off Now:
“It’s exciting to see the great economic news that continues to happen because of the tax cuts that we passed. Families are recognizing that they are better off now.
“…Look at the new retail sales numbers, especially driven by Americans buying new cars and buying used cars, who are finally able to have better vehicles to get around to their new jobs.
“And you’re seeing millions of people that gave up looking for work, that are finally getting back into the workforce and are now going into maybe their first job or a job that might give them an opportunity to buy their first home.
“Americans are better off now, and you’re seeing the real results.
“More good news keeps coming, and we’re going to keep working with Jobs 3.0 that we’re passing this week to make it even easier for people to have a piece of the American Dream.”
On the House resolution to support ICE:
“We’re doing a lot of other things this week to address the problems facing this country.
“…As crime, and opioids especially, continue to infiltrate this country, we’re bringing a resolution to stand up for our ICE agents.
“The Democrats are talking about getting rid of the very people that keep our country safe, that get rid of people that are here that are criminals. If you look at ICE last year, over 100,000 people that came here illegally with criminal backgrounds were removed by ICE agents—keeping our country safer.
“That’s who Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies want to get rid of. Those very agents, men and women, law enforcement officers are protecting this country, keeping opioids out of this country, stopping human trafficking, keeping terrorists that try to enter our country illegally from coming … into the interior of our country.
“That’s who we’re standing up for with this resolution by my colleague from Louisiana Clay Higgins. And that’s the very people that the Democrats are talking right now about getting rid of.
“I think it shows an important contrast… We stand up for our ICE agents and the people that are keeping America safe. [Democrats] want to get rid of them. It’s a radical idea they have, and this resolution’s really important.”
On the resolution opposing a carbon tax:
“And there’s another important resolution, the resolution to block a carbon tax, to oppose a carbon tax. There are still people talking about trying to impose a carbon tax, which would be devastating to our manufacturing economy—one of the great bright spots we see in our economy, where we’re bringing jobs back to America, rebuilding our middle class. A carbon tax would destroy that.
“So we’re going to have everybody go on record with a resolution to oppose a carbon tax.”
On House consideration of appropriations bills this week:
“And then finally, we’re bringing two more important appropriations bills. We’ve continued to move bills through the process to rebuild our military with the DOD approps bill we’ve already passed—three bills that are now in a conference committee in Appropriations. We have two more, the Financial Services appropriations bill and the Interior appropriations bill that have real important policies.
“Repealing Waters of the U.S., another radical Obama-era regulation that is killing jobs and making it harder for Americans to develop their own private property. Let’s restore property rights, let’s repeal WOTUS. That’s in this.
“We also have Tom Graves’ provision that creates the Fund for America’s Kids and Grandkids, something that’s really important to start reducing the deficit in this country. That’s in this bill, too. So looking forward to a strong vote.”