Providing for Consideration of H.R. Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years and Relating to the Consideration of House Report and An Accompanying Resolution; Relating to the Consideration of Measures Disapproving of Sales, Exports, or Approvals Pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act; and Providing for Consideration of H.Res. Condemning President Trump's Racist Comments Directed At Members of Congress
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) for yielding me the time and I want to thank him for his service on the Rules Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I certainly support the rule, but I want to speak on one underlying bill in particular, H. Res. 489.
Mr. Speaker, what we saw this week used to be reserved for the darkest corners of the internet, some chat room somewhere where people would be too ashamed to even use their real name when spewing vile rhetoric.
But this isn't some online troll. We are not talking about using dog whistles or speaking in some kind of secret alt-right code, Mr. Speaker.
This is proudly using Twitter as a megaphone to attack fellow Americans.
These are American citizens being turned into some kind of scary ``other,'' not because of their party, but because of their background, their race, and their opinions. This is the same type of attack the President has used against immigrants and refugees for years.
I have seen this administration carry out some deeply troubling policies. I have heard some deeply offensive things. And I know I am not alone in this, because when the cameras are off and the press isn't around, some of my colleagues on the other side have told me the same thing, that they are sickened by what is going on.
Well, these recent comments are in a completely different category. This type of language isn't just offensive. It could lead to violence. It is corroding our discourse. It undermines our values, and it doesn't reflect who we are as a country.
Mr. Speaker, let me tell my Republican colleagues on the other side of the aisle, more sternly worded press releases and disappointed tweets aren't going to cut it. The only thing that matters here is votes. Press statements are not enough.
This House needs to speak with unity and vote to condemn the President's comments for what they are.
Now, I believe in the adage from Maya Angelou: ``When someone shows you who they are, believe them.''
The President told us who he was long before he rode that escalator down to announce his campaign.
It is time Republicans told the American people with their votes what they whisper to one another in the Cloakroom, what many of them have told me behind closed doors, because this dark world view is what will be on the ballot.
Mr. Speaker, I implore my colleagues to think twice before they follow the President off a cliff. Our credibility matters and their credibility matters.
A Presidency lasts, at most, just 4 to 8 years. Some of us will get the chance to serve here long after this administration ends, and we will have to live with our conscience for a lifetime, but silence is an endorsement, equivocation is an endorsement, blaming both sides is an endorsement.
There is no gray area here. There is a very clear right and wrong. So supporting this resolution isn't about standing with Democrats; it is about standing up for decency.
The President showed us who he is. Now we have the chance to show the American people who we are.
Now, it is no secret that I have profound policy disagreements with this President. His economic policies favor the rich and his foreign policy completely ignores human rights, but in all the time I have been alive, I have always respected the office of the President and the occupant.
I feel differently now. I feel embarrassed. I feel ashamed.
Mr. Speaker, let me remind my colleagues, our children are watching us. So do the right thing. Do the moral thing. Condemn President Trump's hateful and blatantly racist rhetoric.
And I don't care if it is out of order, but we need to be clear, we need to call it what it is, and we need to condemn it.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that what I am saying on the House floor supports the truth. I believe every word I said, and I feel strongly about it. I would only wish my colleagues on the other side would feel equally strong about condemning these horrific remarks.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, the President can say whatever he wants. I think we have a moral obligation to call out racism wherever it exists.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's comments, but I would ask him: Where was he when President Trump was spreading lies about President Obama's birth? Where was he when Representative Joe Wilson shouted, on the House floor, ``You lie,'' to President Obama in 2009?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source