WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox Business Network’s Kudlow to discuss how Democrats’ multi-trillion-dollar legislation is on life support after Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) came out against President Biden and Speaker Pelosi’s tax-and-spending spree. Whip Scalise highlighted that Democrats’ rampant spending in 2021 has fueled inflation across the country. Whip Scalise emphasized that even if Democrats reduced the total cost of their socialist legislation, the long-term effects of their radical policies would still devastate the U.S. economy, reverse American energy independence, and hurt middle-class families.
Additionally, Whip Scalise emphasized that voters have rejected Democrats’ extreme agenda and are furious that President Biden and Speaker Pelosi are prioritizing their radical base instead of fixing their self-made crises that are hurting American families, workers, and small businesses. Whip Scalise also discussed how Republicans plan to introduce a bold conservative agenda in 2022 that would lower energy costs for American families, fix the economy, and put checks and balances on Democrats’ radical agenda.
On Senate Majority Leader Schumer vowing to hold a vote on the House version of Democrats’ tax-and-spending spree:
“Well, I think they’re taking the cracks that [Senator] Joe Manchin left open in the door on Sunday, where he indicated maybe $1.5 trillion might be something he’s open to. And let’s be clear, Larry, this bill is unsafe at any price. This would be devastating to the economy at $1 trillion, at $1.5 trillion. It would kill millions of jobs. And so, if they tried to renegotiate the bill, you know, and you heard [Senator] Manchin the other day call them out on all the budget gimmicks, which you and I have been talking about, but even if they paired this bill back $1.5 trillion is not a moderate compromise, it’s still a massive tax-and-spend bill. And, that’s – I think – what they’re trying to go back to the drawing board on.”
On the American people rejecting Democrats’ socialist agenda:
“[Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez primarying Senate Majority Leader Schumer] would be a fun primary to watch and you know that’s still in the back of his head because she keeps floating things like that out there. And so, as he’s worried about the furthest left socialist Democrats, frankly, there [are] a lot of liberals that are saying, ‘This is crazy.’ You know, let alone swing voters in swing districts, independent voters who are coming our way in droves because they think this is madness because it is madness to spend trillions of dollars that we don’t have. It is what’s driving inflation. And so, as they keep going back to the drawing board, trying to come up with more ways to pass trillions in spending that families don’t want in America.
“I think you saw last week, all this week, when you see these socialists calling [Senator] Manchin every name under the book – you heard the White House, in essence, calling him a liar. I mean, this shows you the underbelly, the ugly underbelly of today’s Democrat party where if you veer an inch from the far-left, big government socialists then they’ll throw you under the bus. And they tried to do it with [Senator] Machin, he’s a tough guy. But I think they’re ultimately going to see if they can try to get $1 trillion, $2 trillion of new taxes and spending anyway. Again, unsafe at any price. Save America, kill the bill no matter what the latest version or iteration of their crazy spending plan is.”
On Republicans proposing their own alternative to Democrats’ tax-and-spending spree:
“Well, first of all, [Democrats] already voted for all 150 of those new programs. They voted to put an energy tax on hardworking families who are already paying almost double for gasoline. They’re paying more for their electricity. They don’t want to pay more at the grocery store, and yet [House Democrats] already voted for all of that garbage, even if the Senate bill dies.
“And so, what we are going to be rolling out next year is a bold conservative agenda to show people how we can reduce energy costs, get inflation under control, people back to work, and our economy back open safely. You’re seeing states, again, trying to do shutdowns with the newest variant. [President] Biden has no control over COVID, even though he campaigned on COVID. He doesn’t even have a [Food and Drug Administration] Director 11 months into his presidency. That’s malpractice. And you see, that’s why Joe Biden’s numbers are in the tank because people don’t think he has the confidence to do the job because he’s proven that he doesn’t.
“But the bottom line is we are going to be rolling out a bold agenda next year to show people why we should fire [Speaker] Nancy Pelosi and get the House back and at least put some checks and balances on this crazy, big government socialist agenda.”
On House Republicans’ bold agenda heading into 2022:
“I think by [the] summer, you’re going to see all of that rolled out. Recently, we put out the Parents’ Bill of Rights, and you saw after the Virginia election, this is a red-hot issue, not just in Virginia, but in so many states where parents are sick and tired of the Biden Administration calling them domestic terrorists if they go to a school board meeting to get involved in their kids’ education just to see the curriculum. You’ve got some school systems trying to get kids to sign a nondisclosure agreement for God’s sake.
“So, I think the outrage that you’re seeing all around the country for all these policies is real, and it’s only going to grow. And we’re going to be rolling out those conservative alternatives to show not only are what they are doing [is] bad for families, which it is, but what are Republican ideas – the really good, bold, conservative ideas – that will confront all these crises from [the] border crisis to the inflation crisis to the energy crisis, and all of the domestic and foreign policy debacles that we’ve seen from the Biden Administration in less than one year.”